Background CYFRA 21‐1, a constituent of the intermediate filament proteins of epithelial cells, is known to be increased in many cancers. This study was designed to estimate the levels of salivary and serum CYFRA 21‐1 in patients with oral precancer and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and compare them with healthy controls. Materials and methods Each group comprised of 100 subjects. Saliva and blood samples were collected from patients with OSCC, premalignant subjects, and normal healthy subjects. Serum and salivary CYFRA 21‐1 levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Appropriate statistical tests were employed to assess diagnostic potency of CYFRA 21‐1. Results We found a significant increase in CYFRA 21‐1 level in OSCC compared with PML and healthy subjects. Salivary CYFRA 21‐1 levels in OSCC was threefold higher when compared to serum levels. PML group showed increased salivary CYFRA 21‐1 when compared to control subjects, but it was significantly lower compared with OSCC. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed salivary CYFRA 21‐1 to have superior sensitivity in detecting OSCC compared with serum CYFRA 21‐1. Conclusions The outcome of this study suggests that salivary CYFRA 21‐1 can be utilized as a biomarker in early detection of oral cancer.

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