Prognostic value of pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen after definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Eng Yen Huang, Hsuan Chih Hsu, Li Min Sun, Chan Chao Chanchien, Hao Lin, Hui Chun Chen, Chih Wen Tseng, Yu Che Ou, Hung Yao Chang, Fu Min Fang, Yu Jie Huang, Chang Yu Wang, Hsien Ming Lu, Ching Chou Tsai, Yen Ying Ma, Hung Chun Fu, Yu Ming Wang, Chong Jong Wang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate whether pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels have a prognostic role in patients after definitive radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix. Methods and Materials: A retrospective study of 550 patients was performed. The SCC antigen (SCC-Ag) and CEA levels were regarded as elevated when they were ≥2 and ≥5 ng/mL, respectively. A total of 208 patients underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the distant metastasis (DM), local failure (LF), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was evaluated for the risk of a poor prognosis. Results: Compared with the patients with normal CEA/SCC-Ag levels, CEA levels ≥10 ng/mL but without elevated SCC-Ag levels was an independent factor for LF (HR, 51.81; 95% CI, 11.51-233.23; p <.001), DM (HR, 6.04; 95% CI, 1.58-23.01; p =.008), DFS (HR, 10.17; 95% CI, 3.18-32.56; p <.001), and OS (HR, 5.75; 95% CI, 1.82-18.18; p =.003) after RT alone. However, no significant role for CEA was noted in patients with SCC-Ag levels ≥2 ng/mL. In patients undergoing CCRT, a CEA level ≥10 ng/mL was an independent factor for LF (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.01-6.21; p =.047), DM (HR, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.56-7.46; p =.002), DFS (HR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.39-5.36; p =.003), and OS (HR, 3.93; 95% CI 1.99-7.75; p <.001). A SCC-Ag level of ≥40 ng/mL was another prognostic factor for DM, DFS, and OS in patients undergoing not only CCRT, but also RT alone. The 5-year OS rate for CCRT patients with CEA <10 ng/mL and ≥10 ng/mL was 75.3% and 35.8%, respectively (p <.001). CCRT was an independent factor for better OS (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50-0.97; p =.034). Conclusion: Pretreatment CEA levels in patients with SCC of the uterine cervix provide complementary information for predicting LF, DM, DFS, and OS, except for in patients with abnormal SCC-Ag levels before RT alone. More aggressive therapy might be advisable for patients with CEA levels of ≥10 ng/mL.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1105-1113
Number of pages9
JournalInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
Volume81
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 11 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • CEA
  • Carcinoembryonic antigen
  • Cervical cancer
  • Concurrent radiotherapy
  • Radiotherapy
  • SCC antigen
  • SCC-Ag
  • Squamous cell carcinoma

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Prognostic value of pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen after definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this