TNF and neoplasm: In OSCC, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α are consistently elevated in saliva, with reported mean IL-6 concentrations ranging from approximately 30 to 70 pg/mL in patients compared with <10 pg/mL in healthy controls, and IL-8 levels frequently exceeding 200 pg/mL versus baseline values below 50 pg/mL, reflecting active tumor-driven inflammation [9,10,17].