TISSUE POLYPEPTIDE ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC (TPS) AND CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA) LEVELS IN CANCEROUS AND PRECANCEROUS LESIONS IN HUMAN COLON

Serum levels of tissue polypeptide antigen specific (TPS), a cytokerat in 18 marker, were determined and compared with serum levels of carcin oembryonic antigen (CEA) in 45 patients with colon adenocarcinoma and in 34 patients with benign diseases (adenomatous polyps and ulcerative colitis) at the time of diagnosis. In colon carcinoma patients 58% ha d an elevated TPS level (cut-off 100 U/l) and 53% had an elevated CEA level (cut-off 3.0 ng/ml). The sensitivity of the cytokeratin marker T PS was related to the stage of the disease. Significant correlation wa s observed between TPS and Dukes stages in colon cancer patients and t he highest TPS values were achieved in Dukes stage D. The combined use of the two markers increased the sensitivity to 82% compared with the use of only one. Simultaneous raise of both serum markers TPS and CEA was observed in 36% of cases. In the majority of the patients with ad enomatous polyps and ulcerative colitis the serum TPS and CEA levels w ere below the upper reference limit. However the initial high levels i n some patients could be considered as a prognostic indicator for iden tifying a group of patients with increased risk of cancer development. No significant correlation was observed between serum TPS and CEA con centrations in individual patients with benign diseases.