No biopsy? IIT Indore researchers find new way to spot oral cancer early

IIT Indore researchers have developed a non-invasive method to detect oral cancer clues using saliva and an oral swab. The approach could support quicker, cheaper screening in places with limited specialist care.

In Short

• Study examined healthy people, fibrosis cases and oral cancer patients
• Researchers used advanced lab analysis to trace molecular changes across samples
• Findings linked disease progression with fat metabolism, immunity and tissue repair

A team of researchers at IIT Indore has developed a non-invasive technique that could help detect early signs of oral cancer using two simple samples: saliva and a swab from the inner surface of the mouth.

The researchers say the approach could eventually lead to quick, economical and easy-to-use screening tools that can be used at the point of care. This could be particularly useful in remote and rural areas, where access to specialist cancer diagnostics can be limited.

The findings have been published in the British Journal of Cancer. A patent application for the technology has also been filed and is currently under process.

FROM A PAINFUL BIOPSY TO A SIMPLE SWAB

At present, doctors generally confirm oral cancer through a biopsy, in which a small piece of tissue is removed from a suspicious area and examined.

While biopsies remain an important part of cancer diagnosis, they involve an invasive procedure and can be painful. Repeating them is also not always practical.

The IIT Indore researchers say their technique could provide a non-invasive way of identifying warning signs before cancer becomes clinically obvious.

The study focused on two conditions: oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of oral cancer, and oral submucous fibrosis, a condition that can develop among people who chew areca nut, gutkha or tobacco and can eventually become cancerous.

SALIVA AND A SWAB TELL TWO PARTS OF THE STORY

The researchers analysed samples from healthy individuals, people with oral submucous fibrosis and patients with oral cancer.

They used liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry, an advanced laboratory technique, to examine the molecular changes in these samples.

The team found differences linked to how the body processes fat and energy, responds to oxidative stress, repairs tissue and manages immune activity. According to the researchers, some of these molecular changes appeared before the disease became visible to the naked eye.

The two samples also offered different information.

Saliva can carry chemical signals from processes taking place throughout the mouth, while a soft swab from the oral lining can collect cells and proteins directly from the tissue.

By combining both sets of information, researchers said they could build a more detailed picture of the gradual changes from healthy tissue to a precancerous condition and, eventually, cancer.

THE AIM IS EARLIER DETECTION, NOT REPLACING DOCTORS

The technology was developed under the leadership of IIT Indore professor Hem Chandra Jha.

“Oral cancer leaves molecular footprints in saliva and on the oral mucosal surface before it becomes clinically obvious,” Jha said.

“Our aim is to convert these non-invasive signals into practical tools for earlier detection and better monitoring of high-risk oral lesions,” he added.

The researchers say the key advantages of the approach are that it is non-invasive, economical, quick and potentially suitable for point-of-care use.

However, the technology is not yet ready to replace established diagnostic procedures. The team plans to validate its findings in larger and more diverse groups of patients before developing targeted tests that could eventually be used in routine clinical practice.

WHY THIS COULD MATTER IN INDIA

Early detection can make a significant difference in cancer care, but screening and specialist diagnostics are not equally accessible everywhere.

A test that requires only saliva or a simple oral swab could potentially make preliminary screening easier to conduct outside major hospitals, if further studies confirm the findings.

For now, the IIT Indore research represents an early step towards that goal: finding molecular clues in samples that are much easier to collect than tissue biopsies and using them to identify people who may need further medical evaluation.

(With PTI inputs)

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