Squamous cell carcinoma antigen: prognostic significance and role in the monitoring of neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in cervical cancer.

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) in the management of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

SCC assay was performed with a radioimmunoassay kit in a series of 102 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. The values of 2.5, 5, and 7 ng/mL were used to define SCC antigen positivity. The chi 2 and Fisher's exact test and the stepwise logistic regression were used to evaluate the distribution of marker values. Analysis of survival was performed using the Kaplan and Meier test and Cox multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

SCC levels were elevated in 65%, 45%, and 32% of patients with primary tumors for cutoff values of 2.5, 5, and 7 ng/mL, respectively. SCC pretreatment levels correlated with stage, tumor volume and lymph node status. In the multivariate analysis, SCC expression proved to be an independent predictor of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SCC posttreatment levels were strongly related to chemotherapy response. Moreover, the overall correlation between the clinical course of the disease and the variation of SCC levels was 83%. In patients with squamous cell tumors, survival was significantly longer in SCC-negative cases compared with SCC-positive cases (P = .04). Moreover, in patients undergoing surgery after response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, low SCC values were associated with better prognosis (P = .02). In the multivariate analysis, parametrial involvement and SCC status proved to retain an independent prognostic value.

CONCLUSION

Our data show that SCC assay may provide useful information to improve the prognostic characterization and disease monitoring of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.