Comparison of pre-treatment CYFRA 21 – 1 and SCC-Antigen assay in primary cervical carcinoma – a preliminary report

Abstract

CYFRA21 - 1, a fragment of cytokeratin19, has been widely assessed as a serum marker of squamous malignancies. Previous studies using CYFRA21 - 1 and SCC-Antigen have shown mixed results but have indicated a better predictive prognostic value for SCC-Ag as compared to CYFRA21-1. The aim of our prospective, observational, pilot study was to evaluate the role of CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag in primary cervical carcinoma. Pre-operative serum CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag were measured (n = 14) in women with cervical carcinoma and correlated with staging, clinico-pathological parameters and prognostic data. Logistic regression analysis with CYFRA 21 - 1 test status (positive or negative) as a dependent variable showed that nodal metastases (p = 0.001) and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) (p = 0.005) were significant predictors, whereas stage and SCC-Ag levels were not significant. There was also no statistically significant correlation between SCC-Ag and CYFRA21-1 levels. If larger studies confirm these preliminary results, the option of laparoscopic surgical staging in patients with raised CYFRA21-1 levels could be considered.