Salivary VEGF: a non-invasive angiogenic and lymphangiogenic proxy in head and neck cancer prognostication

BACKGROUND: Saliva is an enriched milieu containing biologically active proteins, including growth factors and cytokines. The endothelial growth factor family of proteins is important for the development of blood and lymphatic vessels in a healthy individual but also can aide tumour growth. The aim of this study is to develop an independent normative database of values of salivary VEGF in a healthy population and to test the hypothesis that values would be raised in the saliva of patients with oral cancer. METHODS: Twenty-one participants (12 males and 9 females) of whom 14 were healthy and 7 had oral squamous cell carcinoma took part in this study. An immunoassay was employed to quantify a range of specific vascular endothelial and lymphatic endothelial growth factors in various body fluid compartments (blood, saliva). This was correlated to tumour factors and patient outcomes. RESULTS: The mean salivary levels and serum VEGF A(165 )levels were significantly correlated in the sample as a whole. Additionally, both saliva and serum VEGF A(165 )levels were significantly correlated with age. There were significant differences in the salivary and serum levels of the control group and the cancer group. CONCLUSION: We present independent normative data on the levels of endothelial growth factor in the saliva of a healthy control population. We also suggest the use of simple non-invasive tests in helping to predict head and neck tumour biology and outcomes.