RESUMEN
A total of 120 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix were prospectively monitored with simultaneous serum level estimations of SCC, CEA, and TATI in different stages and phases of their disease. Positive values were observed for SCC in 72 patients (60%), for CEA in 47 (39%), and for TATI in 12 (10%). There was no increase in the SCC serum levels in the early stages of disease (IA, IB, IIA), whereas they increased significantly with advancing stage. Serum marker levels quickly dropped to normal in patients with advanced stages (IIB or higher) or recurrent disease who responded to treatment, as well as in patients with early-stage disease following local therapy. In addition, 28 patients, who had a renewed progression after a complete remission with normal marker levels, showed an increase in SCC in 26 cases (92%) and CEA in 7 (25%). TATI did not vary in these patients. In patients whose disease did not respond to treatment, a change in serum marker levels cannot be evidenced with the available numbers. This study indicates that the routine measurement of all three markers is not justified in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, and that SCC estimation is a potential tool for monitoring the efficacy of treatment in advanced stages or relapse.
Asunto(s)
Antígenos de Neoplasias/sangre , Biomarcadores de Tumor/sangre , Antígeno Carcinoembrionario/sangre , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/diagnóstico , Serpinas , Inhibidor de Tripsina Pancreática de Kazal/sangre , Neoplasias del Cuello Uterino/diagnóstico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/sangre , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/inmunología , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Recurrencia , Neoplasias del Cuello Uterino/sangre , Neoplasias del Cuello Uterino/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Eighty-eight patients with head and neck cancer were prospectively monitored, before and after treatment, by means of simultaneous serum SCC, CEA and TATI measurements. Thirty-two (36.6%) patients had early stages (I, II, III) and 56 (63.4%) advanced (stage IV) or recurrent disease. Pre-treatment serum SCC levels were elevated in 20.4% of patients, CEA in 27.2% and TATI in 4.5%. There was no correlation between the incidence of TATI elevation and tumour burden; this marker did not increase with progressing disease stages. CEA and SCC had low sensitivity in the early stages of head and neck cancer and reached 35.7% (20/56 patients) and 25% (14/56 patients) in stage IV or recurrent disease. Despite the low sensitivity of these tumour markers, there was a correlation between tumour marker levels and the course of the disease. This study indicates that the routine assessment of SCC, CEA and TATI serum levels is of no value. However, it can be used as a potential tool for monitoring the efficacy of individual therapy in both early and advanced stages of head and neck cancer.