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Saliva is an emerging body fluid for detection of clinical diseases with several advantages for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Oral and systemic diseases may affect salivary glands directly or indirectly and influence the quantity and composition of saliva that is produced. Although, the presence of oral cancer markers is normal, the discovery of systemic markers in saliva has offered renewed interest in the potential use of saliva as a diagnostic fluid. Several serum circulatory tumor markers are known to be expressed in saliva with significant correlation to that of the levels in the serum which makes it an attractive fluid for diagnosis of systemic tumors. Various studies have been reported on specific cancer markers such as cerbB- 2, CA 15-3, CA 125, AFP, PSA, CA19-9, Interleukins, kallikreins, β glucuronidase, osteopontin, immunoglobulins, leptin, VEGF-A which help in the diagnosis of tissue specific benign and malignant tumors. With the development of several new technologies investigations on cancer markers in saliva has been easier and rapid. The two important technologies being developed are salivary proteome and salivary transcriptome analysis with the principle of various proteins and transcriptomes. Several pathways enable the transport of these markers into the saliva. Recent advances in proteomics have put forth a platform for fingerprint profiling of multiple biomarkers in saliva with improved characterization of these salivary markers. The purpose of the review is to look for the potential systemic tumor markers in saliva detected with the modern sophisticated technology which makes it a non interventional and effective diagnostic fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]