HOUSTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have found a way to identify and quantify specific protein markers in human saliva to provide an early, non-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer.

A report from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, published in the journal Cancer Investigation, said the onset of breast cancer produces a change in the normal type and amount of proteins in glandular secretions from the salivary glands.

Biochemists the University of Texas at Austin are using that information to develop a diagnostic test that dentists and other healthcare professionals can use to detect the presence of cancer before a tumor forms.

"Why not the dentist?" lead researcher Dr. Charles Streckfus, a University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston professor of diagnostic sciences, said in a statement. "Most folks, especially women and children, visit the dental office way more often than they ever see the physician. Saliva is a non-invasive, quicker way for detection."