Oral squamous cell carcinoma identification by FTIR spectroscopy of oral biofluids

Objectives This case study evaluated the efficacy of mid‐infrared spectroscopy on the identification of oral squamous cell carcinoma, following the assessment of unstimulated whole saliva. Study Design and Methods The trial follows a matched case–control design. Saliva samples were characterized through mid‐infrared spectroscopy, and chemometric tools were applied to distinguish between case and control participants, further identifying the spectral regions that played a pivotal role in the successful identification of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Results Mid‐infrared spectroscopy was capable to discriminate between cancer patients and matched controls with 100% of correct predictions. Additionally, the spectral regions mostly contributing to the successful prediction were identified and found to be potentially associated with significant molecular changes crucial to the carcinogenic process. Conclusion The application of mid‐infrared spectroscopy in saliva analysis may be regarded as an innovative, noninvasive, low cost, and sensitive technique contributing to the identification of oral squamous cell carcionma.