Saliva liquid biopsy for detection of early-stage lesions.

Introduction: This special report explores the advancements of salivary biomarkers for early detection across various cancer types.

Areas covered: Saliva-based liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool with a unique capability to capture a wide range of molecular signals that may reflect systemic disease signatures. Novel platforms such as Electric Field-Induced Release and Measurement (EFIRM) and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based techniques are introduced. This report also addresses the challenges in standardizing saliva collection and biomarkers. Saliva diagnostics hold potential in changing the landscape of cancer detection and disease monitoring. However, barriers in reproducibility, sample variability, and accessibility must be addressed.

Expert opinion: We anticipate that through interdisciplinary collaborations, saliva-based diagnostic tools will be brought to the frontline of clinical practices for routine screening for cancer in the future, opening doors to earlier detection and increased accessibility to precision oncology.