Salivary cathelicidin LL-37 as a non-invasive biomarker for oral cancer detection.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the predominant form of oral malignancy, with late-stage diagnosis contributing to poor prognosis. Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) often precede OSCC, underscoring the need for early diagnostic biomarkers. Hence, salivary cathelicidin LL-37 levels were quantified using ELISA in 80 participants. Participants were divided into four groups: OSCC, tobacco- associated OPMDs, non-tobacco-associated OPMDs, and healthy controls. Salivary cathelicidin LL-37 levels increased progressively from healthy controls to OSCC cases (p < 0.001) with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Thus, we show that salivary LL-37 is a reliable, non-invasive biomarker for early detection and monitoring of oral carcinogenesis.