[Prognostic value of CYFRA 21-1 and CEA in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma before and after radiotherapy].

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of CYFRA 21-1 (CYFRA) and CEA as a prognostic marker in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

From March 2004 to February 2008, 62 patients with newly diagnosed, undifferentiated NPC were treated in our department. Their clinocopathological data were analyzed retrospectively. All patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy using 6 MV X-rays, and serum CYFRA and CEA before and after radiotherapy were assayed. The association among the long-term follow-up results and age, sex, smoke, TNM stage, chemotherapy, CEA, CYFRA and the changes in any direction of serum CYFRA and CEA were determined.

RESULTS

Patients with low pre-RT level (≤ 2.49 µg/L) of CYFRA had a significantly better overall survival (OS) than patients with high level (> 2.49 µg/L,OR = 8.555, P = 0.029). N classification and T classification were positively associated with the prediction of progression free survival (OR = 4.054, P = 0.001;OR = 3.873, P = 0.001). But there was no significant association between the rest predictors (age, sex, CEA, post-RT CYFRA, chemotherapy and a radiation-induced decrease in serum markers) and the survival or recurrence rate by multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study show that pre-RT serum CYFRA level is a valuable factor for predicting long-term survival in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. More aggressive treatment may be given to those patients with a high serum CYFRA level.