title: Squamous cell carcinoma antigen serum levels as prognostic parameter in patients with early stage vulvar cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether SCC-Ag serum levels can be used as a prognostic parameter in surgically treated early stage vulvar cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  SCC-Ag serum levels were measured preoperatively in 61 surgically staged patients with squamous cell vulvar cancer (UICC pT1 and pT2). Results were correlated to clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (standard deviation) SCC-Ag serum levels in patients with vulvar cancer were 1.5 (1.99) ng/mL. SCC-Ag serum levels were significantly higher in patients with pT2 vulvar cancer (2.2 [2.6] ng/mL) compared with patients with pT1 vulvar cancer (1.0 [1.2] ng/mL, P = 0.034). SCC-Ag serum levels were not associated with lymph node involvement (P = 0.1), tumor grade (P = 0.6), and patients' age (P = 0.5). Multivariate Cox regression models considering tumor stage, lymph node involvement, patients' age, and SCC-Ag serum levels as covariates showed that lymph node involvement (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01) and tumor stage (P = 0.006 and P = 0.009), but not SCC-Ag serum levels (P = 0.8 and P = 0.6), and patients' age (P = 0.08 and P = 0.22) are prognostic factors for disease-free and overall survival, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCC-Ag serum levels cannot be used as an additional prognostic parameter in patients with surgically treated early stage vulvar cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. lukas.hefler@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Lukas A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hefler
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sliutz
authors.forename: Sepp
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leodolter
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Speiser
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joura
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reinthaller
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kohlberger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015843:Serpins / Q000097:blood*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen