Introduction:
Cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21 – 1) is an established tumor marker in the management of lung cancer. However, the clinical impact of CYFRA 21 – 1 as a tumor marker for patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is still unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of CYFRA 21 – 1 in these patients.
Methods:
The clinical and histological data of 42 patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. In all cases CYFRA 21 – 1 serum levels were evaluated by ECLIA assay at time of diagnosis and in most cases at the time of follow-up. The cut-off value was set at 3.3 ng/ml. The development of regional or distant metastases was evaluated by ultrasonography or computed tomography.
Results:
The mean CYFRA 21 – 1 serum level at the time of first diagnosis was 2.4 ng/ml. There was no statistically significant correlation between CYFRA 21 – 1 and tumor size, tumor grading, regional lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis. In total 17 patients (40.5%) developed regional recurrence and 2 patients (5.0%) presented with distant metastases. In these cases, no significant increase of the CYFRA 21 – 1 concentration with a mean value of 2.0 ng/ml was detected.
Conclusion:
CYFRA 21 – 1 does not seem to be a suitable tumor marker for patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
