Open AccessEvaluation of serum sialic acid and carcinoembryonic antigen for the detection of early‐stage colorectal cancer
Author(s) -
Tautu Carmen,
Alhadeff Jack A.,
Pee David,
Dunsmore Marlene,
Prorok Joseph J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.1860050405
Subject(s) - carcinoembryonic antigen , colorectal cancer , medicine , stage (stratigraphy) , sialic acid , cancer , cancer antigen , oncology , tumor marker , gastroenterology , biology , paleontology , genetics
Various expressions of elevated serum sialic acid (total sialic acid, TSA: lipid‐associated sialic acid, LASA; LASA/TSA; TSA normalized to total protein, TSA/TP) have been evaluated and compared with increased serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels for the detection of early‐stage colorectal cancer. This evaluation was done blindly on a coded panel of 320 sera from staged colorectal cancer patients and controls provided by the Mayo Clinic‐National Cancer Institute Diagnostic Bank. Unlike the findings of a previous preliminary study (Tautu et al., JNCI 80:1333–1337, 1988), the ratio of LASA/TSA was not useful for detecting early‐stage (Dukes A and B) colorectal cancer. However, TSA and TSA/TP values were significantly elevated in each colorectal cancer subgroup compared with normal controls. TSA and TSA/TP values displayed a marginally better discriminatory power than CEA values in the case of Dukes A subgroup with respect to normal controls. CEA still appears to be the best single overall marker for discriminating between colorectal cancers and controls. However, multiple marker analysis using CEA and TSA (and related markers) appears to be more sensitive than CEA alone for detecting colorectal cancer.