Tissue polypeptide antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen, and CA125 levels as tumor markers in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Ninety-eight untreated patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck of different localizations (larynx 36, oral cavity 48, nasal cavity 14) were selected for a study to measure TPA, CEA, CA 19-9, CA125 pre- and post-therapy. Fifty healthy individuals and 42 patients with benign lesions were as normal and disease controls. The positive rates were 22.3%, 27.8%, 5.6% and 0% respectively in TPA, CEA, CA 19-9 and CA125 markers in laryngeal cancer patients. The positive rates of TPA level was higher with significant difference in advanced stage group than in early stage group; conversely, the positive rate of CEA levels were somewhat high in early stages of laryngeal cancer. Meanwhile, the positive rates were 25.0%, 18.8%, 14.6% and 4.2% individually in the same order in oral cancer patients. There was no relationship between the marker levels and progression of the oral cancer. The tumor markers were almost of no use in detecting nasal cancer. It also seemed there was no relationship between the various serum levels and the tumor or nodal burden in laryngeal and oral cancer. Only TPA level decreased significantly after therapy in patients with laryngeal and oral cancer who had originally elevated marker levels. Conclusively, only TPA and CEA markers are of some clinical use in the disease.