Serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen: a potential marker for benign vulval disease?

Benign vulval disease comprises a variety of disorders and can affect women of all ages. To date, the optimal management of these conditions has been uncertain and not subjected to a systemic prospective approach. It is recognized that benign vulval disease has a potential premalignant potential. Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) has shown in different studies to be an effective means of monitoring the course of the disease in cervical carcinoma. Elevated levels of SCCA have been found in the skin. In addition, raised SCCA levels have been found in non-carcinomatous inflammatory dermatoses, and the levels observed correlated with the extent of the disease and the response to therapy. It was thought that SCCA might prove to be a useful marker for benign vulval disease, and in our pilot study the objectives were to determine if levels of SCCA are elevated in patients with that disease and to assess whether there is an association between SCCA and clinical response to treatment.