Clinical usage of the squamous cell carcinoma antigen in patients with penile cancer

Abstract

Background: We present our initial experience with the use of the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen (SCCAg) in 16 men with penile SCC (SCC group), in four men with condyloma acuminatum (benign group), and in 32 blood donors (control group). Methods: The SCCAg levels were measured at presentation and every 6 months (upper limit was 2 ng/mL). The mean follow-up time was 4 years. Results: All non-SCC patients had normal SSCAg serum levels in contrast with the SCC patients. The presence of nodal and/or distant metastases resulted in statistically significant higher SCCAg levels, both at presentation and during the follow-up. In patients undergoing lymph node dissection with elevated SCCAg levels prior to the procedure, there was a statistically significant decrease of the SCCAg levels after the operation. Conclusion:The SCCAg level could be a serum marker that holds promise for clinical use in penile SCC. Sequential monitoring of SCCAg level might indicate developing of nodal and/or distant metastases and could be useful in following the response to treatment.

Clinical significance of preoperative C‐reactive protein and squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma

“…Similarly, several studies have shown that SCC-Ag level, which might also serve as a sensitive marker of disease progression, is correlated with tumour burden in penile cancer [19][20][21]. In the present study, we first show the relationship between preoperative serum CRP and SCC-Ag levels in penile SCC.…”

“…An elevated CRP concentration is independently correlated with tumour load and disease progression, which is also correlated with survival in various cancers [14,15], and two recent studies have shown that CRP correlates with tumour burden in penile cancer [16,17]. Another potential prognostic marker in penile cancer is SCC antigen (SCC-Ag), a serum tumour marker used for various human SCCs [18,19], and an elevated level of SCC-Ag has been reported to be associated with clinical outcome in patients with penile cancer [19][20][21]; however, to the best of our knowledge, the relationship between CRP and SCC-Ag levels and their potential value in combination as a prognostic marker of survival in penile cancer have not been previously explored. In the present study, we retrospectively analysed 124 patients with penile SCC to evaluate the combined prognostic value of elevated CRP and SCC-Ag levels.…”

Prognostic factors and biomarkers of penile carcinoma

“…It may be more sensitive than computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in detecting recurrence, but further evaluation is needed [89] . Touloupidis et al [90] reported that the presence of nodal and/or distant metastases resulted in statistically significant higher SCCAg levels, both at the presentation and during the follow-up. Further collaborative work with formal study protocols is necessary to determine the precise role of this first serum marker for patients with SSC.…”

“…Studies are now underway to identify penile cancer biomarkers by proteomic and cytomic evaluation of serum and tissue. Serum levels of SCC antigen, a glycoprotein with relative molecular mass of 48 kDa, have been considered useful to identify nodal metastases in patients with SSC of the penis after treatment of the primary tumor [88][89][90] . It may be more sensitive than computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in detecting recurrence, but further evaluation is needed [89] .…”

Plasma N-acetylputrescine, cadaverine and 1,3-diaminopropane: potential biomarkers of lung cancer used to evaluate the efficacy of anticancer drugs

“…Thus, there is an urgent need to identify sensitive and specific biomarkers for early diagnosis and the therapeutic targets for investigating the pathogenetic mechanism of lung cancer. At present, the two protein biomarkers, CYFRA21-1 and SCCAg, are the most widely used forthe early diagosis of lung cancer [ 4 – 6 ]. However, a single biosignature is not enough to distinguish between healthy and diseased individuals.…”