title: Use of serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen for follow-up monitoring of cervical cancer patients who were treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, 809 Madu 1-dong, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Kyung Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Joo-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Sang-Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Kwan Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen