Association between lipid profile and oral cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case–control studies

This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum lipid profiles and the presence of oral cancer (OC) by comparing lipid levels between OC patients and healthy controls. We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from their inception until March 2026. Pooled mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model in Stata 18.0, alongside sensitivity, publication bias, and meta-regression analyses. A total of 25 studies were included, involving 948 patients with OC and 921 healthy controls, all from Asia. TC and HDL were assessed in 25 studies (786 °C patients and 795 controls), TG in 21 studies (646 °C patients and 655 controls), LDL in 22 studies (679 °C patients and 725 controls), and VLDL in 17 studies (672 °C patients and 711 controls). Patients with OC showed significantly lower levels of TC (MD = -24.82, 95% CI = -30.42 to -19.23; P < 0.001), TG (MD = -21.27, 95% CI = -31.23 to -11.31; P < 0.001), HDL (MD = -7.48, 95% CI = -10.17 to -4.80; P < 0.001), LDL (MD = -15.98, 95% CI = -19.10 to -12.86; P < 0.001), and VLDL (MD = -4.78, 95% CI = -6.38 to -3.17; P < 0.001) compared to controls (all p < 0.001). This study showed that serum lipid profiles were significantly decreased in patients with OC, suggesting that altered lipid metabolism may be associated with OC and warrants further investigation as a potential biomarker candidate. Due to the high heterogeneity and population homogeneity, these findings should be cautiously interpreted. More multi-center and high-quality studies are needed to verify these correlations and to establish more reliable conclusions in the future.