ABSTRACT
Blood serum cytokines: TNFalpha, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 as well as CRP were investigated in patients with colorectal cancer, prior treatment and 1, 10 and 42 days after surgery. There was an increase of the levels of CRP, IL-6 and IL-10 in most patients 24 hours after surgery. The levels of IL-1ra were elevated in patients in stage C and in several patients in stage B of the disease and there was a decrease of circulating TNFalpha in stage B patients. On day 10 and 42 after surgery, the levels of cytokines followed various patterns.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/blood , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Colorectal Neoplasms/blood , Cytokines/blood , Neoplasm Proteins/blood , Sialoglycoproteins/blood , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Adenocarcinoma/surgery , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery , Humans , Inflammation , Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein , Interleukin-10/blood , Interleukin-6/blood , Interleukin-8/blood , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging , Postoperative Period , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/analysisABSTRACT
CA-125 was determined in 298 patients with ovarian carcinoma both initially, and during and after treatment. The upper limit of normal for CA-125 in our laboratory is 65 units/ml. Postoperatively, serum CA-125 antigen showed three distinct patterns: 20% of patients in whom levels fluctuate within the normal range have active disease; 100% of patients with fluctuations above 65 U/ml are found to have active disease; 100% of patients in whom levels of CA-125 increase progressively from any nadir, have active disease. An elevated concentration of CA-125 antigen indicates presence of tumor and allows avoidance of 2nd-look surgery. Serum CA-125 antigen fluctuating within the normal range does not indicate eradication of the viable tumor cells.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate/blood , Biomarkers, Tumor/blood , Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/blood , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/blood , Ovarian Neoplasms/blood , Combined Modality Therapy , Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/drug therapy , Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/surgery , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Laparotomy , Ovarian Neoplasms/drug therapy , Ovarian Neoplasms/surgery , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Pretreatment serum concentrations of breast carcinoma antigen (CA 15.3) and mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) were determined in 129 patients with breast carcinoma. Concentrations of both markers were within the normal range in patients with Stage I disease. Concentrations of CA 15.3 were elevated (greater than 40 U/ml) in 3, 11 and 48%, those of MCA (greater than 17 U/ml) in 11, 18 and 52%, and those of one or the other marker in 11, 18 and 58% of the patients with Stage II, III and IV disease, respectively. The elevation of either marker roughly paralleled the size of the tumor being normal in the patients with localized cancer, slightly elevated in a small proportion of the patients with locoregional cancer, and moderately to markedly elevated in half of the patients with distant metastases. Correlation between serum concentrations of CA 15.3 and MCA was highly significant (p less than 0.0001). It is concluded that the markers were equally sensitive and that an elevated serum level was a useful adjunct for staging, implying systemic disease.
