Serum tumour markers in carcinoma of the uterine cervix and outcome following radiotherapy.

A study was made of the prognostic value of measurements of pretreatment serum marker levels in patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix undergoing radiotherapy. The markers studied were carcinoma antigen 125 (CA125), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA). The levels of all three markers increased with disease stage. In a univariate analysis stratifying patients according to either median values or cut-off levels representing the top of the normal range, pretreatment levels predicted patient survival (follow-up times 1-4 years). In a multivariate analysis, disease stage was the most important prognostic variable and, after allowing for stage, only CA125 was a significant independent predictor of treatment outcome. These data suggest that, in carcinoma of the cervix treated with radiotherapy, pretreatment measurements of CA125, but not SCC and TPA, may have a role to play in defining prognosis.