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A Model for Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: January 5, 2017
Correlation between Serum Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Level and Tumor Volume in Head and Neck Cancer
Kitti Jantharapattana1, Teerapol Kotamnivates2, Siriporn Hirunpat3
1Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand, kittient@hotmail.com.
Purpose Of Study:
An association of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level with cancer prognosis has been reported in many studies. Our investigators conducted the first study determining a correlation between the SCC-Ag level and the tumor volume in head and neck cancer.
Procedures:
The SCC-Ag level of patients were measured from the serum, whilst the tumor volume was calculated by the ellipsoid formula and verified by logistic software on radiology. The correlation between SCC-Ag level and tumor volume was analyzed.
Results:
Fifty-two patients were studied, with the mean age of 62.4 years. Tumor types were: oral cavity cancer (11 cases, 21.6%), oropharyngeal cancer (21 cases, 40.38%), hypopharyngeal cancer (8 cases, 15.7%), and laryngeal cancer (12 cases, 23.5%). Mean tumor volume was 20.01 mL (range 0.02-91.46 mL). Mean SCC-Ag level was 2.69 ng/mL (range 0.5-14.6 ng/mL). The critical point of SCC-Ag was 5.8 ng/mL. The Pearson's correlation coefficient between SCC-Ag level and tumor volume was 0.524 (p = 0.0002).
Conclusions:
SCC-Ag moderately correlates with tumor volume in head and neck cancer patients, with statistical significance. We suggest that using tumor volume, rather than a one-dimensional measurement such as tumor size, to analyze correlation with SCC-Ag offers a more accurate means of cancer prognosis.
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