Saliva and Blood Biomarkers for Early Cancer Detection: Multi‑Omics and AI‑Driven Integration

Liquid biopsy approaches utilizing saliva and blood have emerged as transformative tools for capturing circulating tumor-derived signals, including ctDNA, RNA species, proteins, metabolites, and extracellular vesicles. Saliva offers unique, proximal contact with oral and head and neck lesions, enabling highly sensitive early detection, whereas blood provides complementary systemic insights into metastatic spread and minimal residual disease. While advances in high-throughput "salivaomics," ultrasensitive biosensors, and AI-driven data integration now allow multiplexed detection of low-abundance targets, significant hurdles remain. Addressing challenges in assay standardization, cross-population validation, and reproducibility is essential to transition these promising biomarkers from research laboratories into guideline-ready diagnostic tools.This Research Topic aims to accelerate the translation of salivary and blood-based liquid biopsies into robust clinical tools for cancer screening, risk stratification, and longitudinal monitoring. The primary objective is to move beyond initial discovery to establish validated, minimally invasive multi-omic biomarker panels capable of detecting disease at subclinical stages and predicting therapeutic response. Ultimately, this collection seeks to generate high-quality evidence supporting the integration of these patient-friendly assays into routine clinical protocols to improve survival outcomes and reduce disease burden globally.This Research Topic invites research focused on salivary and blood biomarkers across the cancer continuum. Areas of interest include:• Discovery and validation of biomarkers in saliva, serum, plasma, or exosomes for diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive applications• Multi‑omics and panel‑based approaches integrating genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics• Assay development and biosensor technologies, including point‑of‑care and portable platforms• Longitudinal monitoring of treatment response, minimal residual disease, and recurrence• Comparative studies of proximal (saliva) versus systemic (blood) liquid biopsies• Integration with imaging and AI analytics to enhance predictive accuracy and clinical utility• Studies in high‑risk and resource‑limited settings to ensure equitable translation and global impact Topic editors: Dr Samapika Routray, Óscar Rapado-González, John Adeoye Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76288/saliva-and-blood-biomarkers-for-early-cancer-detection-multi-omics-and-ai-driven-integration