CYFRA 8/18 in head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND

Cytokeratins (Ck) 8, 18 and 19 that are normally expressed in head and neck tissue in only small amounts, become overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell cancerous tissue. It was questioned whether Ck 8 and 18, which occur together, were also detectable and of value as a tumor markers for this cancer entity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred forty-nine sera from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) were investigated with a novel ELISA kit for the detection of fragments of Ck 8 and 18. Twenty-five sera from healthy volunteers and 39 patients with benign diseases of the head and neck region served as controls.

RESULTS

It was found that CYFRA 8/18 had a sensitivity of 7%. CYFRA 8/18 values did not show a correlation with clinical parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of a low sensitivity CYFRA 8/18 seems not to be of value as a tumor marker for SCCHN.