Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 15;39(15):e10063.
doi: 10.1002/rcm.10063.

Identification of Aerobic Salivary Microorganisms in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using MALDI-TOF MS: Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Study

Milena da Silva Moreira  1 , Giovanna Schmitz  1 , Mariana de Sá Alves  1 , Maria Anita Mendes  2 , Mônica Ghislaine Oliveira Alves  1 , Levy Anderson César Alves  3   4 , Meriellen Dias  2 , Celso Muller Bandeira  1 , Gabrielle Luana Jimenez Teodoro Nepomuceno  5 , Herculano da Silva Martinho  5 , Janete Dias Almeida  1
Affiliations

Identification of Aerobic Salivary Microorganisms in Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using MALDI-TOF MS: Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Study

Milena da Silva Moreira et al. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. .

Abstract

Rationale: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a multifactorial disease, and emerging evidence links the oral microbiome to its development. Rapid, noninvasive identification of salivary microorganisms may offer novel diagnostic and prognostic insights into oral cancer.

Methods: Salivary microbiota from OSCC patients and healthy individuals were analyzed using MALDI Biotyper. Saliva samples were cultured, and microbial identification was performed based on protein spectral profiles using an UltrafleXtreme MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer.

Results: Thirteen OSCC patients (mean age 55 ± 11 years; 69% male) and nineteen healthy controls (mean age 55 ± 10 years; 79% male) were analyzed. Distinct microbial profiles were observed in OSCC patients, including pathogenic species previously associated with carcinogenesis, suggesting potential biomarkers for oral cancer.

Conclusions: The MALDI Biotyper is an effective, noninvasive tool for identifying salivary microbiota. Its application may support early diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC, reinforcing the significance of the oral microbiome in cancer etiology.

Keywords: MALDI‐TOF MS; oral cancer; salivary microorganisms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. INCA, Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva , “Coordenação de Prevenção e Vigilância. Estimativa 2023: Incidência de Câncer no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: INCA,” (2023).
    1. Brener S., Jeunon F. A., Barbosa A. A., and Grandinetti H. A. M., “Carcinoma de células escamosas bucal: uma revisão de literatura entre o perfil do paciente, estadiamento clínico e tratamento proposto,” Belo Horizonte: Revista Brasileira de Cancerologia 53, no. 1 (2007): 63–69.
    1. Ganly I., Yang L., Giese R. A., et al., “Periodontal Pathogens Are a Risk Factor for Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Independent of Tobacco and Alcohol and Human Papillomavirus,” New York: International Journal of Cancer 145 (2019. [cited 2019 Aug 1]): 775–784, 10.1002/ijc.32152. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Farrell J. J., Zhang L., Zhou H., et al., “Variações da Microbiota Oral estão Associadas a doenças pancreáticas,” Incluindo câncer pancreático. UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles; [cited 2012 Apr] (2012).
    1. Chattopadhyay I., Verma M., and Panda M., “Role of Oral Microbiome Signatures in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Oral cancer,” Tamil Nadu: Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment 18 (2019. [cited 2019 Jan 1]): 1533033819867354, 10.1177/1533033819867354. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources