title: Tissue CA-19.9 content in colorectal adenomas and its value in the assessment of dysplasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  occasionally, the risk of malignant transformation may be difficult to establish in adenomatous polyps due to the fact that they contain areas with variable grades of dysplasia. A measurement of tissue tumor markers may be useful to recognize these adenomas.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  the aims of this study were: to established firstly the relationship between carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA-19.9) content in the colorectal mucosa and the characteristics of polyps, and secondly, the diagnostic value of the formers measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  tissue CA-19.9 concentration was measured in 155 colorectal samples obtained from 145 patients (21 normal mucosa; 113 adenomatous polyps; 21 adenocarcinoma). Cytosol CA-19.9 content was determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbant assay, and the measurement of this protein was achieved by quantitative assay. Tissue samples were also processed for histological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  we demonstrated that CA-19.9 levels in adenomatous polyps and adenocarcinomas were significantly higher than in the normal mucosa. These levels varied significantly according to polyp size, histological type, and grade of dysplasia. CA-19.9 contents were higher in polyps with a high risk of malignant transformation than in those with a low risk of severe dysplasia. The cut-off value 214 U/mg of protein properly differentiated both types of risk. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that cytosol CA-19.9 levels allow classifying polyps according to their histological features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  we concluded that the measurement of CA-19.9 content in adenomatous polyps may be useful to classify these tumors and confirm the feasibility to separate adenomas into two groups: low and high risk of malignant change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Diseases, Unit of Research: Research Center, Hospital 12 Octubre, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. luisframos@wanadoo.es
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salces
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vegh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Muñoz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colina
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Cruz
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Solís-Herruzo
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen