[Clinical significance of serum levels of SCC antigen in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

The levels of squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen (SCC) in sera of 71 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 7 patients with benign esophageal diseases, 11 gastric cancer patients and 15 normal volunteers were studied in order to evaluate its clinical significance as a tumor marker. In the patients with esophageal carcinoma, immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were also measured simultaneously. In the normal volunteers, patients with benign esophageal diseases and gastric cancer patients, the SCC levels were negative except for only one patient. However, in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus 37 out of 71 were positive, the positivity rate being 52.1%. Comparison among SCC, IAP and CEA showed that the positivity rates for SCC and IAP increased with progression of the disease. In contrast, CEA levels did not correspond to clinical stage except in several patients with non-resectable and recurrent disease. With regard to the changes in serum levels of SCC, IAP and CEA before and after surgery and radio-chemotherapy. SCC was the most sensitive marker of the three, and responded well to the effects of therapy. SCC was thus considered to be a useful marker for monitoring esophageal cancer patients.