Lab-on-a-chip for oral cancer screening and diagnosis

• Published in: Head & neck Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 111 - 121
• Main Authors: Ziober, Barry L., Mauk, Michael G., Falls, Erica M., Chen, Zongyuan, Ziober, Amy F., Bau, Haim H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2008; John Wiley & Sons
• Subjects: Antigens, Neoplasm - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - genetics; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - metabolism; Carrier Proteins - metabolism; Cell Adhesion Molecules - metabolism; Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; lab-on-a-chip; Mass Screening - instrumentation; Mass Screening - methods; Medical sciences; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; microfluidics; Mouth Neoplasms - diagnosis; Mouth Neoplasms - genetics; Mouth Neoplasms - metabolism; oral cancer; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; screening; Software; Transcription, Genetic; screening; Oral cancer; Stomatology; biomarkers; lab-on-a-chip; Biological marker; ENT; Malignant tumor; Medical screening; Oral cavity disease; Diagnosis; microfluidics; Cancer
• ISSN: 1043-3074; 1097-0347
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.20680

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a disfiguring and deadly cancer. Despite advances in therapy, many patients continue to face a poor prognosis. Early detection is an important factor in determining the survival of patients with OSCC. No accurate, cost‐efficient, and reproducible method exists to screen patients for OSCC. As a result, many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease. Early detection would identify patients, facilitating timely treatment and close monitoring. Mass screening requires a rapid oral cancer diagnostic test that can be used in a clinical setting. Current diagnostic techniques for OSCC require modern laboratory facilities, sophisticated equipment, and elaborate and lengthy processing by skilled personnel. The lab‐on‐chip technology holds the promise of replacing these techniques with miniaturized, integrated, automated, inexpensive diagnostic devices. This article describes lab‐on‐chip devices for biomarker‐based identification of oral cancer. Similar methods can be employed for the screening of other types of cancers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008