CLINICAL-VALUE OF SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA ANTIGEN (SCC-A) IN EGYPTIANGYNECOLOGIC CANCER-PATIENTS

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen levels were measured by immunopa rticle assay (IMx) in the sera of 32 patients with gynecologic maligna ncies, 15 with benign diseases of the genital system and 14 normal hea lthy controls. At a cut-off value of 4.8 ng/ml (100% specificity), the rate of SCC antigen elevation was 100% in vulvar and vaginal cancer ( n = 5), 90% in ovarian cancer (n = 10), 60.0% in endometrial cancer (n = 10) and 57.2% in cervical cancer (n = 7). The benign disease's grou p had 80.0% false positivity at the same cut-off value. Serum SCC-A wa s found to correlate directly with the clinical stage of disease. A se nsitivity of 73.3% was obtained at stage I which gives SCC-A a role in screening the high risk population for gynecological cancer Concernin g the histopathologic type of tumor, serum SCCA was highly sensitive i n SCC tumors, in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma and in patients wit h recurrent ovarian cancer.