Prognostic value of pre-treatment circulating monocyte count in patients with cervical cancer: comparison with SCC-Ag level.
OBJECTIVE
Higher level of circulating monocyte has been reported to be related with higher cancer incidence and mortality. We investigated the role of pre-treatment circulating monocyte count for cancer specific survival in cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients comparing with pre-treatment squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen (SCC-Ag) level.


METHODS
We retrospectively enrolled patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (FIGO stage IB to IVA) who had complete blood cell counts with differential cell count and serum SCC-Ag level within 2 weeks before starting initial treatment and were treated at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from 1996 to 2007.


RESULTS
The 788 patients in our study group had a median follow-up of 53.4 months and a five-year survival rate of 87.8%. The median value for pre-treatment circulating monocyte count was 349/μl (21-1463), and the median concentration of SCC-Ag was 1.6 ng/ml (0.1-362.0). In multivariable analysis, the pre-treatment circulating monocyte count was an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival and overall survival in locally advanced disease (P=0.007 and P=0.038) but not in case of SCC-Ag for overall survival. The combined index of monocyte count and SCC-Ag level could enhance the prognostic value of SCC-Ag alone in patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher pre-treatment circulating monocyte count is independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma. The pre-treatment circulating monocyte count may be considered as an adjunctive biomarker with SCC-Ag.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Yoo-Young
YY
Lee
Chel Hun
CH
Choi
Chang Ohk
CO
Sung
In-Gu
IG
Do
SeungJae
S
Huh
Taejong
T
Song
Min Kyu
MK
Kim
Ha-Jeong
HJ
Kim
Tae-Joong
TJ
Kim
Jeong-Won
JW
Lee
Byoung-Gie
BG
Kim
Duk-Soo
DS
Bae
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015843:Serpins / Q000097:blood*; D015996:Survival Rate; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen