Salivary microbiome and metabolome in oral cancer patients

Karcinom usne šupljine predstavlja globalni zdravstveni problem. Uz dobro poznate etiološke čimbenike, kao što su alkohol i duhan, u novije vrijeme sve je veći broj dokaza u literaturi koji impliciraju to da bi ulogu u etiologiji karcinoma usne šupljine mogao imati i oralni mikrobiom. Usna šupljina obiluje različitim bakterijama, virusima, gljivama i arhejama. Ovi mikroorganizmi žive skladno te uspostavljaju međusobno složene odnose. Do bolesti eventualno može doći ako nastane poremećaj strukture oralnih komenzalnih zajednica – disbioza. Oralni mikrobiom mogao bi, uz druge biomarkere, poslužiti i u ranoj dijagnostici karcinoma usne šupljine. Mogući su dijagnostički biljezi i metaboliti – konačni proizvodi staničnih biokemijskih procesa. Izvrsnom tekućinom za procjenu mikrobioma i metaboloma usne šupljine pokazala se slina. S obzirom na to da se nalazi u neposrednoj blizini karcinoma, slina bi mogla odraziti i promjene mikrobiološkog i metaboličkog profila svojstvene oralnom karcinomu. Detekcija biomarkera u slini noviji je dijagnostički pristup koji je u posljednje vrijeme središte interesa mnogim istraživanjima. Do sada nije pronađen biljeg ili kombinacija različitih biljega koji bi s pouzdanom osjetljivošću i specifičnošću mogli detektirati karcinom usne šupljine. Međutim, polaže se nada u daljnja istraživanja, jer pronalazak odgovarajućih biomarkera povećao bi vjerojatnost rane dijagnoze karcinoma usne šupljine.Oral cancer is a global health problem. In addition to well-known factors, such as alcohol and tobacco, there is a growing body of evidence in the literature that suggests that the oral microbiome may play a role in the etiology of oral cancer. The oral cavity contains diverse forms of microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea. These microorganisms live in harmony and establish complex relationships. The disease can eventually occur if th ere is a disruption to the balance of the oral commensal communities, known as dysbiosis. The oral microbiome could be, among other biomarkers, used in the early diagnosis of oral cancer. Other possible diagnostic markers are metabolites - the final products of cellular biochemical processes. Saliva proved to be an excellent fluid for assessing the microbiome and metabolome of the oral cavity. Since it is in close proximity to the cancer itself, saliva could also reflect changes in the microbiological and metabolic profile characteristic of oral cancer. Salivary biomarkers detection is a new diagnostic approach that has been the focus of much research recently. To date, no marker or combination of different markers that could detect oral cancer with reliable sensitivity and specificity has been found. However, high hopes are placed on further research, as finding adequate biomarkers would increase the likelihood of early diagnosis of oral cancer