SERUM LEVELS OF INTERCELLULAR-ADHESION MOLECULE-1 IN SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE HEAD AND NECK

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-ICAM-1) was measured in t he sera of 131 patients with primary and 50 patients with recurrent sq uamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC). 30 patients with beni gn ear, nose and throat diseases served as controls. s-ICAM-1 levels i n serum are high in patients with HNSCC, particularly in the advanced tumor stages (UICC IV). Highest levels can be measured at the time of tumor recurrence and locoregional lymph node metastases. The sensitivi ty (95% specificity) of s-ICAM-1 (cutoff-level: 473 ng/ml) is 4% at pr imary diagnosis and 12% for recurrent disease. A coefficient of correl ation for s-ICAM-1 in combination with SCC, carcinoembryonic antigen a nd CYFRA 21-1 indicates that no correlation can be found of s-ICAM-1 c ompared with traditional tumor markers. Due to overlapping values in c ontrol and patient groups s-ICAM-1 is not suitable for a specific clin ical use in HNSCC.