Tumor marker substancies thought to be able to demonstrate recurrence or metastasis have been recently developmend. The specific reactivity of tumor markers is discussed.
In this paper, values obtained using Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (Scc Ag) are determined in 20 cases of oral cancer, 36 malignancy follow-up cases, 30 cases of oral disease, 24 normal adults and 8 pediatric patients.
Results suggested that Scc antigen in Oral cancer is more useful in determining the presence of metastasis or distant metastasis than in finding local recurrence or primary diagnosis.
1) Of 18 new cases with squamous cell carcinoma, 6 cases (33%) showed higher Scc Ag values than the cut off value (2.0ng/ml).
2) Of 11 cases with confirmed recurrent squamous cell carcinoma, 4 cases (36%) exceeded the cut-off value.
3) 4 of 7 cases with metastatic cancer (57%) at the time of its diagnosis were positive. High values were obtained particularly in cases with distant metastasis and resulted in a poor prognosis.
4) The cut-off value for pediatric patients requires re-investigation.
