Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1995 May;71(5):1090–1094. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1995.211

The association of preoperative serum tumour markers with Dukes' stage and survival in colorectal cancer.

G Lindmark 1, R Bergström 1, L Påhlman 1, B Glimelius 1
PMCID: PMC2033799  PMID: 7734306

Abstract

The tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), TPS, CA 19-9, CA 50 and CA 242 were analysed in serum from 203 potentially curable colorectal cancer patients. The levels of all markers increased with increasing tumour stage, and all markers correlated with survival. Multivariate analyses indicated that the Dukes stage had the best prognostic explanatory power, followed by TPA. In the subset of 166 potentially cured patients, the prognostic information by the markers was substantially reduced. We conclude that preoperative serum tumour marker measurements have the potential to aid therapy selection, but also that their clinical usefulness is not immediately apparent.

Full text

PDF
1091

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cangemi V., Volpino P., Fiori E., Giammarco A., Piat G. The role of tumour markers (CEA, TPA, CA 19-9) in colon and rectum carcinomas. J Nucl Med Allied Sci. 1987 Apr-Jun;31(2):189–193. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chu D. Z., Erickson C. A., Russell M. P., Thompson C., Lang N. P., Broadwater R. J., Westbrook K. C. Prognostic significance of carcinoembryonic antigen in colorectal carcinoma. Serum levels before and after resection and before recurrence. Arch Surg. 1991 Mar;126(3):314–316. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1991.01410270054010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DUKES C. E., BUSSEY H. J. The spread of rectal cancer and its effect on prognosis. Br J Cancer. 1958 Sep;12(3):309–320. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1958.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gupta M. K., Arciaga R., Bocci L., Tubbs R., Bukowski R., Deodhar S. D. Measurement of a monoclonal-antibody-defined antigen (CA19-9) in the sera of patients with malignant and nonmalignant diseases. Comparison with carcinoembryonic antigen. Cancer. 1985 Jul 15;56(2):277–283. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19850715)56:2<277::aid-cncr2820560213>3.0.co;2-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Holmgren J., Lindholm L., Persson B., Lagergård T., Nilsson O., Svennerholm L., Rudenstam C. M., Unsgaard B., Yngvason F., Pettersson S. Detection by monoclonal antibody of carbohydrate antigen CA 50 in serum of patients with carcinoma. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 May 19;288(6429):1479–1482. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6429.1479. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jass J. R., Atkin W. S., Cuzick J., Bussey H. J., Morson B. C., Northover J. M., Todd I. P. The grading of rectal cancer: historical perspectives and a multivariate analysis of 447 cases. Histopathology. 1986 May;10(5):437–459. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1986.tb02497.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Johansson C., Nilsson O., Baeckström D., Jansson E. L., Lindholm L. Novel epitopes on the CA50-carrying antigen: chemical and immunochemical studies. Tumour Biol. 1991;12(3):159–170. doi: 10.1159/000217701. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Koprowski H., Steplewski Z., Mitchell K., Herlyn M., Herlyn D., Fuhrer P. Colorectal carcinoma antigens detected by hybridoma antibodies. Somatic Cell Genet. 1979 Nov;5(6):957–971. doi: 10.1007/BF01542654. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kuusela P., Jalanko H., Roberts P., Sipponen P., Mecklin J. P., Pitkänen R., Mäkelä O. Comparison of CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in the serum of patients with colorectal diseases. Br J Cancer. 1984 Feb;49(2):135–139. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1984.25. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lewi H., Blumgart L. H., Carter D. C., Gillis C. R., Hole D., Ratcliffe J. G., Wood C. B., McArdle C. S. Pre-operative carcino-embryonic antigen and survival in patients with colorectal cancer. Br J Surg. 1984 Mar;71(3):206–208. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800710312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lindmark G., Elvin A., Påhlman L., Glimelius B. The value of endosonography in preoperative staging of rectal cancer. Int J Colorectal Dis. 1992 Sep;7(3):162–166. doi: 10.1007/BF00360359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Metzger U., Laffer U., Aeberhard P., Arigoni M., Arma S., Barras J., Egeli R., Martinoli S., Mueller W., Schweizer W. Randomized multicenter trial of adjuvant intraportal chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (SAKK 40/81). An interim report. Acta Chir Scand. 1990 Jun-Jul;156(6-7):467–474. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Moertel C. G., Fleming T. R., Macdonald J. S., Haller D. G., Laurie J. A., Goodman P. J., Ungerleider J. S., Emerson W. A., Tormey D. C., Glick J. H. Levamisole and fluorouracil for adjuvant therapy of resected colon carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1990 Feb 8;322(6):352–358. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199002083220602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Moertel C. G., O'Fallon J. R., Go V. L., O'Connell M. J., Thynne G. S. The preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen test in the diagnosis, staging, and prognosis of colorectal cancer. Cancer. 1986 Aug 1;58(3):603–610. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860801)58:3<603::aid-cncr2820580302>3.0.co;2-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Moore M., Jones D. J., Schofield P. F., Harnden D. G. Current status of tumor markers in large bowel cancer. World J Surg. 1989 Jan-Feb;13(1):52–59. doi: 10.1007/BF01671154. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nilsson O., Johansson C., Glimelius B., Persson B., Nørgaard-Pedersen B., Andrén-Sandberg A., Lindholm L. Sensitivity and specificity of CA242 in gastro-intestinal cancer. A comparison with CEA, CA50 and CA 19-9. Br J Cancer. 1992 Feb;65(2):215–221. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1992.44. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Putzki H., Student A., Jablonski M., Heymann H. Comparison of the tumor markers CEA, TPA, and CA 19-9 in colorectal carcinoma. Cancer. 1987 Jan 15;59(2):223–226. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19870115)59:2<223::aid-cncr2820590208>3.0.co;2-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Påhlman L., Glimelius B. Pre-operative and post-operative radiotherapy and rectal cancer. World J Surg. 1992 Sep-Oct;16(5):858–865. doi: 10.1007/BF02066982. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ståhle E., Glimelius B., Bergström R., Påhlman L. Preoperative prediction of outcome in patients with rectal and rectosigmoid cancer. Cancer. 1989 May 1;63(9):1831–1837. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19900501)63:9<1831::aid-cncr2820630929>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Ståhle E., Glimelius B., Bergström R., Påhlman L. Preoperative serum markers in carcinoma of the rectum and rectosigmoid. I. Prediction of tumour stage. Eur J Surg Oncol. 1988 Aug;14(4):277–286. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Ståhle E., Glimelius B., Bergström R., Påhlman L. Preoperative serum markers in carcinoma of the rectum and rectosigmoid. II. Prediction of prognosis. Eur J Surg Oncol. 1988 Aug;14(4):287–296. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Taylor I., Machin D., Mullee M., Trotter G., Cooke T., West C. A randomized controlled trial of adjuvant portal vein cytotoxic perfusion in colorectal cancer. Br J Surg. 1985 May;72(5):359–363. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800720509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES