RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERUM AND CYTOSOLIC CONCENTRATIONS OF CEA, CA125AND SCC ANTIGENS IN PATIENTS WITH NONSMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER

The concentration of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell car cinoma antigen (SCC) and CA125 antigen were determined in cytosolic tu mor samples obtained at the time of surgery and in serum (preoperative ly and during follow-up) in 122 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pat ients. Serum and cytosolic concentrations of tumor marker were closely related. High serum levels of the markers were detected more frequent ly in patients whose tumors expressed high cytosolic concentration. Ad ditionally, the concentration within the primary tumor conditioned the serum level in recurrence: 81.8% of CEA-negative tumors, 85.7% of CA1 25-negative tumors and 93.7% of SCC-negative tumors showed low serum l evels of the marker in recurrence, whereas 60% of CEA-positive tumors, 70% of SCC-positive tumors and 87.5% of CA125-positive tumors showed high serum levels in recurrence. Quantification of cytosolic content o f CEA, SCC and CA125 makes it possible to identify those tumors best s uited to postoperative follow-up by serum assay.