SALIVARY PROTEOME ANALYSIS BY 2D-PAGE AND SELDI-TOF/MS TO SEARCH POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS OF ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Aim. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the oral cavity and is a neoplasia characterized by a poor prognosis. In fact, the estimated survival rate is 44% after 5 years from the diagnosis. The prognosis of the disease is significantly related to the stage in which the disease is diagnosed. Moreover the therapies are not very efficient and are so invasive, disfiguring and debilitating that in the survivors the quality of life is poor. Nowadays there is not a reliable and non-invasive method for early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma and the simple visual examination of the oral cavity is characterized by a low sensitivity and specificity, also b…