University of Texas Health Science Center Researchers Decoding Saliva To Detect Breast Cancer
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can identify and quantify specific protein markers in human saliva to provide an early, non-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer, according to a study published in the Jan. 10, 2008 issue of the journal "Cancer Investigation." The study describes how the onset of breast cancer produces a change in the normal type and amount of proteins in glandular secretions from the salivary glands. The protein profile in a healthy person is altered by the presence of cancer.