Saliva test could diagnose cancers

Looking for mitochondrial genetic mutations in bodily fluid could be a promising new way to detect cancers. David Sidransky and his team from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, have discovered that genetic mutations in mitochondrial cells from cancers are highly prevalent and easily detectable in urine, sputum, and bronchial secretions.

Professor Sidransky believes that this observation could provide a powerful molecular marker for non-invasive detection of cancer (Science 2000;287:2017-9).

Mitochondrial DNA is derived from …