title: Clinical significance of preoperative serum tumor markers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum tumor markers (TMs) were seldom reported in esophageal carcinoma (ESCC), and the results were still unsatisfactory.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed carcinoembryonic antigen, CA125, CA199, CA724 and CA242 in ESCC patients. The preliminary relations between serum TMs and clinicopathological factors or prognosis were analyzed by Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier method firstly. Then, the cut-off values of these serum TMs were delimited according to lymph node metastasis, hematogenic metastasis and 2-year survival or 5-year survival of ESCC by receiver operating characteristic curve. Based on these cut-off values, the relations between the serum TMs and clinicopathological factors or prognosis were analyzed again. Univariate and multivariate analyses of Cox regression proportional hazard model were performed to evaluate the prognostic parameters for survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We chose 13.65 U/mL, 9.945 U/mL and 6.25 U/mL as new cut-off values of CA125, CA199 and CA724, respectively, and chose 25.35 U/mL as the cut-off value of CA125 for ESCC hematogenous metastasis. with these optimal cut-off values, CA199, CA125 and CA724 were associated with ESCC hematogenous metastasis, and CA199 and CA125 were associated with ESCC lymph node metastasis, but not associated with other clinicopathological factors. The prognosis was better in patients with CA125 ≤ 13.65 U/mL than those with CA125 > 13.65U/mL. Vascular tumor thrombus, grading, T grade, lymph node metastasis and CA125 were independent prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CA125 could predict lymph node metastasis, hematogenic metastasis and prognosis with the cut-off value 13.65 U/mL.
authors.forename: Hongguang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Wenhu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lifang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology (Lung and Esophagus), Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, China.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen