The importance of monitoring colorectal adenomas by tumor markers (ROC analysis).

Are the increased values of specific tumor markers significant in monitoring colorectal adenomas at the beginning of malignant alteration? Tumor markers (CEA, CA 19-9 and CA 72-4) were determined in sera by IRMA kits. The increased levels of tumor markers CEA and CA 19-9 were statistically very significant in patients (28) with colorectal adenomas at the beginning of malignant alteration and in the group with colorectal adenocarcinomas (96). By ROC analysis the sensitivities, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of CEA and CA 19-9 were quite acceptable with high accuracies for all determined tumor markers in colorectal adenomas at the beginning of malignant alteration. Those findings suggest the importance of monitoring of colorectal tumours and precancerouses by tumor markers serum levels and it confirms the usefulness of counting results by ROC analysis.