EVALUATION OF TUMOR-MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA IN THE ORAL CAVITY

Serum levels of six tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA), immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), ferritin (FER), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9)) were simultaneously measured in 29 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity to determine their significance. The positive rates were 34.5% for CEA, 41.4% for SCCA, 51.7% for IAP, 0% for AFP, 10.3% for FER, and 6.9% for CA 19-9 in patients with oral SCC. Therefore, CEA, SCCA, and IAP levels, of which the positive rates were significantly different (P<0.01) from those of control patients without oral cancer, were considered to be of diagnostic value. The sensitivity (69.0%) and accuracy (90.3%) of the combination assay with these three tumor markers proved to be higher than those obtained with individual markers. A combination assay with CEA, SCCA, and IAP could be useful for the screening of patients with oral cancer.