Use of serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen for follow-up monitoring of cervical cancer patients who were treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
BACKGROUND
To investigate the significance of monitoring the levels of the serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) for the detection of recurrent disease in patients with cervical cancer treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy.


METHODS
The records of 112 patients with cervical cancer were reviewed. Serum SCC-Ag levels were measured at regular follow-up visits. A SCC-Ag level of 2 ng/mL was considered the upper limit of normal. Biochemical failure was defined as two consecutively increasing SCC-Ag values above normal. Recurrent disease was confirmed by histologic and radiographic studies.


RESULTS
Eighteen patients (16%) developed recurrent disease. Sixteen patients had initially elevated SCC-Ag, post-treatment normalization of SCC-Ag, and tumor recurrence. The SCC-Ag difference (ΔSCC-Ag), defined as the difference between the last value after two consecutively increases above normal and the value immediately before the elevation, had good clinical performance in predicting cancer recurrence. The cutoff value of ΔSCC-Ag was 0.95 ng/mL.


CONCLUSIONS
SCC-Ag is a relatively good method for the detection of disease recurrence in patients with cervical cancer who were treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
Yoon
Sang Min
SM
Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, 809 Madu 1-dong, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, Republic of Korea.
Shin
Kyung Hwan
KH
Kim
Joo-Young
JY
Seo
Sang Soo
SS
Park
Sang-Yoon
SY
Moon
Sung Ho
SH
Cho
Kwan Ho
KH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019540:Area Under Curve; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012372:ROC Curve; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015843:Serpins / Q000097:blood*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen