Prognosis in bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma groups divided according to serum squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen and cytokeratin 19 fragment levels

We examined differences in the 2-year survival rate in bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma patients with normal serum levels of both cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) and squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen (SCC) (NL group, n = 15), patients with only increased SCC levels (SCC + group, n = 14), patients with only increased CYFRA 21-1 levels (CYFRA + group, n = 14), and patients with elevated levels of both CYFRA 21-1 and SCC (EL group, n = 65). The 2-year survival rates for the CYFRA + and the EL group were lower than those for the SCC + group and the NL group (0 and 12.9% vs. 66.7 and 85.6%, log rank: p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon: p < 0.0001). However, there were no differences between the rate for the SCC + and the NL group and between that for the CYFRA + and the EL group. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels increased in the patients with the elevated CYFRA 21-1 levels. This results suggest that there may be some differences between squamous cell carcinoma patients with increased CYFRA 21-1 levels and those with normal levels and that it is CYFRA 21-1 levels, not SCC levels, that relate to the prognosis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.