Clinical value of Naa10p and CEA levels in saliva and serum for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein (Naa10p) is a potential prognostic biomarker that modulates the phenotypes of several cancer types. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is currently the most well-known biomarker for the detection of epithelial malignancies. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical value of Naa10p, CEA, and their combined detection for diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study included 202 individuals: 112 patients with OSCC, 30 patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPMLs), and 60 cancer-free and without OPML patients as control. Naa10p and CEA were determined in serum and saliva samples utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Salivary and serum levels of Naa10p and CEA in OSCC patients were significantly higher than those detected in OPML and the control groups, although patients with OPMLs also showed increased salivary and serum Naa10p and CEA levels as compared to the control group. Salivary Naa10p level in OSCC patients is correlated with the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis, and serum Naa10p level is specifically correlated with patient age. Additionally, salivary CEA level is correlated with the clinical stage and lymph node metastasis, whereas serum CEA level is correlated with lymph node metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of combined detection were greater than any single detection. Combined use of salivary Naa10p and CEA as tumor markers for OSCC was more sensitive than serum Naa10p and CEA. These results indicated that combined detection of salivary Naa10p and CEA improved diagnostic performance and early detection rate for OSCC.