title: Prognostic value of different patterns of squamous cell carcinoma antigen level for the recurrent cervical cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In some unusual cases, in patients with cervical cancer, an elevation of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) was not observed at diagnosis but was observed on recurrence, or vice versa. The objective of this study was to identify patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors associated with this unusual level of SCC-Ag, and to determine whether SCC-Ag is a useful tumor marker in such patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 129 patients with recurrence, 14 who showed a normal SCC-Ag level at diagnosis but an elevated level at recurrence were classified as group I; 22 patients with an elevated SCC-Ag level at diagnosis but not at recurrence were classified as group II; and 76 patients with an elevated SCC-Ag level at both diagnosis and recurrence were classified as group III.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In univariate analysis, unusual SCC-Ag showed statistically significant relationships with pathology and biochemical response to treatment. However, in the multivariate analysis, none of the clinicopathologic factors showed a statistical relationship with unusual levels of SCC-Ag. The 5-year disease-free survival rates for groups I, II, and III were 7.1%, 9.1%, and 0% (p=0.418), and the 5-year overall survival rates were 34.3%, 58.4%, and 33.3% (p=0.142), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The value of SCC-Ag has been confirmed in all patients; thus, check of SCC-Ag level at follow-up should be considered. Although no statistically significant differences were observed among the groups, we conclude that patients with a high initial SCC-Ag and elevated SCC-Ag at relapse have poor prognosis due to high SCC-Ag level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Radiation Oncology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea. ; Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea.
authors.forename: Bae Kwon
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Seung Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Doo Ho
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Won
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Duk Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Byoung-Gie
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Biological tumor markers; Squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen; Uterine cervical neoplasms