Estimation and comparative study of serum total sialic acid levels as tumor markers in oral cancer and precancer

Background: Tumor markers are a major part of the secondary prevention and thus the detection of malignancies. Neoplasms often have an increased concentration of sialic acid on the tumor cell surface and are shed or secreted by some of these cells which increase the concentration in blood.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 90 subjects equally divided into three groups viz, healthy individuals, oral cancer and precancer. The estimation of serum total sialic acid level was done according to Plucinsky et al by resorcinol reagent method. The statistical analysis was carried out by using SPSS 10.0 software.
Results: The mean serum total sialic acid (TSA) level in oral precancer and oral cancer group was statistically significant (P<0.05). In oral cancer group when stage I and stage II were compared with stage III and stage IV, it was statistically significant (P<0.05). Histopathologically, oral cancer and precancer did not show statistically significant values (P>0.05). The present study also suggested that no correlation exists between habit of tobacco chewing / betel nut chewing / smoking or alcohol consumption with that of serum total sialic acid levels.
Conclusion: Serum total sialic acid levels can be used as an adjunctive diagnostic marker in head and neck cancer.