Serum level of cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) indicates tumour stage and prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.

To determine the clinical efficacy of serum concentration of cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1), sera from 66 patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma were examined, and 54 surgically resected specimens were immunohistochemically stained for cytokeratin 19 (CK-19). The patients with positive CK-19 staining in the tissues of their carcinomas had significantly higher serum CYFRA 21-1 levels compared with those with negative CK-19 staining. When the cut-off value was defined as 2.0 ng/mL, CYFRA 21-1 had a higher positive ratio than that of either squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) or carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Serum CYFRA 21-1 level increased significantly along with the clinical stages. In addition, serum CYFRA 21-1 level served as a prognostic factor for patients with oesophageal carcinoma after surgery, whilst SSC-Ag and CEA is not connected with the outcome. These findings suggest that the serum CYFRA 21-1 probably originated from the tumour tissue is an important marker for determining the stage and outcome of oesophageal carcinoma.