[Combination of cancer markers in the detection and prognosis of digestive system tumors].

The role of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma GT), phosphohexose isomerase (PHI), pseudouridine (PSD) and acute phase reactant proteins (C-reactive protein (C-RP], alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AGP) and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-ACT) in distinguishing benign from malignant conditions of the digestive tract and their value in assessing the prognosis of gastrointestinal neoplasms was evaluated. For each marker it has been possible to produce a simple scoring index derived from the values found in the control population. This work suggests that pre-operative levels of certain cancer markers may be useful in tumor detection and may also give prognostic information additional to pathological staging.