Background: Altered glycosylation of glycoconjugates is among the important molecular changes that accompany malignant transformation. The purpose of our study was to investigate clinical usefulness of circulatory levels of total and lipid bound sialic acid for early diagnosis and management of oral cavity cancer patients.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 41 untreated oral cancer patients, 20 patients with oral pre-cancerous conditions (OPC) and 20 healthy subjects.