Assessment and Comparison of Salivary Survivin Biomarker in Oral Leukoplakia, Oral Lichen Planus, and Oral Cancer: A Comparative Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the oral cavity. It is preceded by various potentially malignant conditions like oral leukoplakia and oral lichen planus. Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis whose levels have been found increased in oral cancer as well as various potentially malignant conditions. Thus survivin can act as a biomarker and help in early detection of potentially malignant conditions which can prevent its transformation into malignancy. Aim To assess and compare the level of total human salivary survivin in oral leukoplakia, oral lichen planus, oral cancer, and control group. Materials and methods A total of 96 subjects were included in the study, which were further grouped into 24 in each group. The saliva was analyzed for survivin level among all the four groups. Survivin concentration (pg/mL) was studied in relation to clinical data. The results were analyzed using Mann—Whitney U test to derive the statistical difference. Results The average of levels of survivin in control group was 0.199 pg/mL, in oral leukoplakia group 0.312 pg/mL, in oral lichen planus group 0.380 pg/mL, and in oral cancer group 0.430 pg/mL. A comparison of all these groups revealed statistically significant difference among the groups. Conclusion Survivin may not be considered as an independent predictor of the malignant transformation for premalignant lesions but it can be an indicator for an increased risk of malignant transformation. How to cite this article Garg R, Shetti AV, Bagewadi AS. Assessment and Comparison of Salivary Survivin Biomarker in Oral Leukoplakia, Oral Lichen Planus, and Oral Cancer: A Comparative Study. World J Dent 2017;8(2):73-76.