Diagnostic usefulness of SCC-Ag, Cyfra 21-1, MonoTotal, and selected acute phase proteins in head and neck cancer patients

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of SCC-Ag, CYFRA 21-1, MonoTotal and selected acute phase proteins in diagnosing patients with head and neck cancer. Material and methods: The determinations of SCC-Ag, CYFRA 21-1, MonoTotal and acute-phase proteins such as prealbumin (PRE), albumin (ALB), alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AAG) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were performed, before treatment, in a group of 32 patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck stage T1-4 N0-3 M0, qualified to radical radiotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy. Results: Significantly higher concentrations of CYFRA 21-1 and Mono Total were found in squamous head and neck cancer patients, in comparison to the reference group. In the studied group, significant relationships were observed between Mono Total and Cyfra 21-1 and SCC-Ag, and also between Cyfra 21-1 and SCC-Ag. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for Mono Total (AUC = 0.765 + 0.064) was higher than for Cyfra 21-1 (AUC = 0.708 + 0.069) and SCC-Ag (AUC = 0.596 + 0.077). When analysing concentrations of the determined factors in respect to tumour stage (T1-2 vs T3-4), only AAG concentrations were found to be significantly higher in more advanced group of patients. Conclusions: Although, there was lack of significant differences in AUC for determined tumour markers, the tendency for greater AUC for Mono Total seems to be connected with wide spectrum of cytokeratins represented by this marker.