PREOPERATIVE SERUM LEVELS OF CA72-4 IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC ADENOCARCINOMA

Citation
M. Ikeguchi et al., PREOPERATIVE SERUM LEVELS OF CA72-4 IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC ADENOCARCINOMA, Hepato-gastroenterology, 44(15), 1997, pp. 866-871
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Surgery,"Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Journal title
ISSN journal
01726390
Volume
44
Issue
15
Year of publication
1997
Pages
866 - 871
Database
ISI
SICI code
0172-6390(1997)44:15<866:PSLOCI>2.0.ZU;2-H
Abstract
Background/Aims: A retrospective study was designed to evaluate the cl inical significance of preoperative serum levels of carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) and CA72-4 in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcin oma. Methodology: Pre-operative serum levels of CEA and CA72-4 were an alyzed and compared with the proliferative activity of cancer cells, m onitored in. terms of the number of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer r egions (AgNORs) in tumors from 153 patients with resected gastric aden ocarcinoma with serosal invasion. Results: Elevated levels of CEA were frequently found in patients with lymph node metastasis and liver met astasis. By contrast, elevated levels of CA72-4 were frequently found in patients with peritoneal metastasis at the time of operation. A clo se correlation was found between pre-operative levels of serum CA72-4 and the AgNOR scores of tumors. Even when apparently curative operatio ns were performed, peritoneal metastasis occurred these were detected quite soon, after apparently curative operations in patients with high pre-operative serum levels of CA72-4 and tumors with high proliferati ve activity. Conclusions: This phenomenon might explain the poor progn osis of patients with high levels of CA72-4.