ArticleOdontology2026
The role of circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic biomarker in plasma of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Article in Odontology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Emerging Diagnostic Strategies for Oral Cancer and Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders: A PRISMA-Guided Scoping Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
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Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), comprising 90% of oral malignancies, poses a global health challenge due to late detection and aggressive progression. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), detectable via liquid biopsy, offers a non-invasive alternative for monitoring, prognosis, and treatment response in OSCC. To evaluate ctDNA as a prognostic biomarker in OSCC, the levels of ctDNA with tumor stage, treatment response, survival rates, and demographic characteristics were monitored. A 3-year follow-up study recruited 94 OSCC patients from four hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan. Blood samples were collected at four time intervals i.e., diagnosis, post-surgery, post-treatment, and during follow-up. ctDNA was extracted and quantified. Statistical analyses, including one-way ANOVA, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and Cox proportional hazards model, were conducted to assess the association of ctDNA levels with clinical and demographic variables and treatment response. The mean ctDNA level of the whole cohort was highest before surgery (37.52 ± 8.71 ng/ml) and decreased significantly after surgery (31.93 ± 8.46 ng/ml), post-treatment (25.89 ± 8.38 ng/ml), and at follow-up (20.37 ± 10.31 ng/ml; p < 0.001). Overall survival of patients with high ctDNA levels had poorer survival (median: 15 months) compared to those with low levels (median: 25 months; p = 0.025). Cox regression analysis showed low ctDNA levels were associated with a 66% reduced risk of mortality (HR: 0.34, p = 0.031). ctDNA levels correlated significantly with metastasis and treatment type, but not with tumor grade, stage, or demographics. We believe this study is the largest cohort of OSCC patients from Pakistan with follow-up and treatment data. ctDNA serves as a valuable non-invasive prognostic biomarker for monitoring tumor burden, assessing treatment response, and predicting survival in OSCC patients.
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