Peripheral squamous cell carcinoma related antigen (SCC), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) were measured in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (n=44), before and after treatment in order to clarify the clinical significance of these tumor markers.
In this study, SCC, TPA, IAP, and CEA correlated with progression of the disease. Among these tumor markers, IAP showed the strongest correlation with progression of cancer. It seems to be one of the useful markers for cancer screening or monitoring, although the differential diagnosis must include inflammatory diseases. We regard multidisciplinary treatment to be necessary in patients with high TPA levels.
