Saliva Unlocks Cancer Clues

Saliva tests may soon be able to detect whether you have cancer. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Centers at Huston studied the saliva of women with and without ductal carcinoma in situ (a form of breast cancer), and found important chemical differences. The results bolster a growing body of research that suggests saliva can be used to screen for oral and breast cancers, among other types.

One of saliva’s benefits is that it provides “real-time” results, unlike blood, which may contain proteins that are a day, a week, or even a month old,says Dr. Charles Streckfus, professor of diagnostic sciences and the lead author of the Texas breast cancer/saliva study. Some of the other advantages? “It’s non-invasive, easy to collect, and inexpensive and painless,” he says.