[Relevance of the new tumor marker SCC (squamous cell carcinoma antigen) for the diagnosis and follow-up control of squamous epithelial carcinoma of the head and neck].

The SCC antigen, a tumour marker for squamous cell carcinoma, is already used for the diagnosis and follow-up of carcinoma of the cervix and the lungs. We determined the SCC antigen levels at the time of diagnosis and during therapy in 108 subjects with a squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. According to our results and those of other authors, the normal serum range of SCC lies between 0 and 2 ng/ml. Before therapy we found an increased titre in 38.9% of the subjects, being 6.2%, 30.8%, 47.2% and 76.2% for stages T1 to T4 respectively. Thus even some stage T3 and T4 tumours did not express the antigen. No correlation was found between the titre at the time of diagnosis and the grade of differentiation, the site of the tumour, the presence of lymph node or remote metastases, and the sex of the patient. After operation the titres returned to normal within 1 week, but after radiation or chemotherapy the titre decreased more slowly. In recurrent tumours we found a rising titre, which could be measured in several cases some weeks before the recurrence was visible. In the light of the costs and the yield of the method, we suggest determining the serum SCC antigen level once before therapy. If it is increased, subsequent estimates should be done during the succeeding years to allow early diagnosis of a recurrence of the tumour.