Korean researchers have developed a technology, which diagnoses and assesses the surgery effects of head and neck cancer by analyzing DNA from cancer cells in saliva. 

Head and neck cancer refers to all cancers occurring in the head and neck except for the eyes, brain, ears and esophagus. They can be detected at early stages through endoscopy, but early diagnosis and recurrence detection after surgery are difficult. There have been researches of body fluid diagnostic technology that finds DNA derived from cancer cells that exist in small amounts. However, the DNA in the saliva is small in quantity and requires a detection method with high sensitivity.

The research team, led by Professor Lee Young-chan of the Department of Otolaryngology at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, used “Cell-free DNA liquid biopsy technology” to develop an ultrahigh sensitivity gene diagnosis technology, which observes ctDNA in saliva, based on gene mutants that uniquely occur in specifical patients. 

They examined patients after head surgery and found that tumor-derived DNA was present in their saliva, and its number decreases after surgery. The discovery confirmed the applicability of the DNA analytic technology on head and neck cancer.

“It was difficult to analyze tumor-derived DNA gene mutants in saliva because of the presence of various mutations,” Professor Lee said. “If we find more specific markers that accurately reflect the reactions to the surgery, it will lead to broader clinical applications.” 

The study results are published in an international medical journal, Oral Diseases.