PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF TPS IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK MALIGNANCIES -COMPARISON WITH SCC

TPS and SCC serum levels were evaluated in 113 patients with primary t umors, 19 with relapse and 59 with no evidence of disease after radica l treatment. Abnormal serum levels were found in 37% and 33% of patien ts with primary untreated tumors and in 53% and 59% of patients with r elapse, respectively, using 100 U/L and 2.5 ng/ml as the upper limit o f normality for TPS and SCC, respectively. Either tumor marker was abn ormal in 57.5% of primary tumors and in 74% of patients with relapse. TPS and SCC serum levels were related to nodal involvement, with signi ficantly higher levels in patients with nodal invasion (p<0.02 and p<0 .001, respectively). No relationship was found between tumor size, age or histological grade and SCC or TPS values. Pretreatment TPS and SCC serum levels had prognostic interest in patients with locoregional tu mors, with a significantly shorter disease - free interval (DFI) in pa tients with abnormal values (p<0.01 and p<0.02, respectively). When tu mor marker levels and nodes were simultaneously evaluated, a trend tow ard shorter DFI in patients with abnormal serum concentrations was fou nd, with no statistical significance. By contrast, TPS and SCC were us eful in prognosis in node-negative patients (p<0.02 and p<0.001, respe ctively). Likewise, using both TAAs simultaneously, it is possible to increase prognostic information. Patients with TPS and/or SCC abnormal levels had a significant-positive and negative patients (p<0.01). In summary, TPS, the TAA utility in this malignancy increases in the prog nosis as well as disease follow-up.