title: Squamous-cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-A) values related to clinical outcome of pre-invasive and invasive cervical carcinoma.
abstract: The serum concentration of squamous-cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-A), a subfraction of tumour antigen, was determined by RIA from healthy donors (control group) and from patients with malignant cervical disease. Ninety-six percent (173/180) of the healthy patients had squamous-cell carcinoma antigen serum levels below 2 ng/ml. Ten of 70 (14.3%) patients with CIN III, 53.8% (34/62) of patients with invasive squamous-cell carcinoma stage I, 85.8% (30/35) with stage II and 96.5% (27/28) with stage III/IV had squamous-cell carcinoma antigen serum levels above 2 ng/ml. We observed that 22.5% (11/49) of patients with a tumour volume below 10 ml and 92.6% of patients with a tumour volume greater than 10 ml had squamous-cell carcinoma antigen levels above 2 ng/ml (p less than 0.005). SCC-A was correlated with recurrence or progressive disease in 90.0% of cases. Other risk factors such as depth of invasion, microscopic parametrial involvement, lymphatic and/or vascular space permeation and histological grade were not correlated with squamous-cell carcinoma antigen. Furthermore, this marker increased 4.3 +/- 2.7 months before clinical evidence of recurrence or progressive disease. We conclude that serial serum levels of squamous-cell carcinoma antigen provide a means for early detection of recurrence or progressive disease. This tumour marker might also be useful for monitoring the treatment effects and has some prognostic value.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Brioschi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bischof
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delafosse
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krauer
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000276:immunology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015843:Serpins; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen