SynthesisBMC oral health2026
MMP-9 as a diagnostic salivary biomarker for early detection of oral cancers: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe intention of this investigation was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of salivary MMP-9 enzyme for rapid point of care testing of early stage (I, II) oral cancer. Diagnosis at early pre-malignant stages will help in making clinical decisions for timely intervention. MATERIALS AND
methodsOriginal diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies of any design, on patients with lip and oral cavity cancers investigating salivary MMP-9 levels as an index test and histopathological confirmation via biopsy as a reference test were eligible for inclusion. Similar studies on serum or blood were excluded. Besides, the case reports/case series, reviews, letters, book chapters, conference abstracts, in vitro, and animal studies were all excluded. Non-English papers were not excluded. The databases searched from Jan 2014 to Aug 2024 were PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, without language restrictions. QUADAS-2 was used to assess the risk of bias and concerns regarding applicability. Meta-analyses were performed using a bivariate random-effects model.
resultsOut of 18 articles identified, 7 studies with 795 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, mean salivary MMP-9 levels, and the Summary Receivers Operating Curve were done using REVMAN 5.4 and a web application (Meta-DiSc 2.0). Overall, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and Area under the curve were 0.98, 0.96, and 0.97, respectively with 95% confidence interval between 0.85 and 1. However, with high heterogeneity and risk of bias together with low applicability concern we need additional pragmatic designed research to back up its use in screening and diagnostic applications.
conclusionWithin the limitations of the study, salivary MMP-9 has merit as a biomarker for identification of early-stage (I, II) oral cancer.
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