Shafaqna Health: A non-invasive brush biopsy test can detect oral cancer within an hour and could help prevent more than 90% of unnecessary invasive scalpel biopsies, according to a new study.
The paper, published in Biomarker Research, a Nature Portfolio journal, was authored by a cross-university team led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London.
The test could potentially revolutionise oral cancer detection by offering a rapid and non-invasive alternative to conventional scalpel biopsies. Such procedures can be painful, carry a risk of infection and, in some areas of the mouth such as the gums, can be difficult to perform and may damage underlying tooth or bone structures.
Oral cancer a growing global concern
Oral cancer is a growing global health threat. According to Global Burden of Disease data, lip and oral cancer is among the world’s most rapidly increasing causes of early death.
More than 10,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with oral cancer last year, according to the charity Mouth Cancer, while 3,637 people died from the disease.
Worldwide, oral cancer affects around 650,000 people annually. Major risk factors include tobacco use and smoking, alcohol consumption, infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), and sun damage.
More than half — 53% — of all mouth cancers are diagnosed at Stage IV, when the disease is at its most advanced.
The latest study, described as the largest of its kind, involved more than 1,000 samples from 545 patients.
Early diagnosis and the problem with scalpel biopsies
Early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is critical. However, most oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are benign, meaning patients frequently undergo unnecessary invasive scalpel biopsies, potentially causing discomfort, harm and diagnostic delays.
A scalpel biopsy can be particularly painful when performed on the tongue, the most common site of oral cancer, and the prospect of repeated procedures may discourage both patients and clinicians from carrying them out frequently and promptly.
Researchers said a non-invasive tool is urgently needed for long-term surveillance and timely detection of OSCC.
The study investigated whether a previously validated microbiopsy-based multigene assay, qMIDS-V2, could be adapted into a rapid, non-invasive brush biopsy test called qMIDS-V3.
The findings showed that the new test works and could potentially spare more than 90% of low-risk OPMD patients from unnecessary invasive tissue biopsies.
