Cytokines and tumor markers in potentially malignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma: a pilot study

Objective To evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, soluble IL‐2 receptor ( sIL ‐2R), squamous cell carcinoma antigen ( SCCA ), tissue polypeptide–specific antigen (TPS) and vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) in patients with potentially malignant disorders (PMD), oral squamous cell carcinoma ( OSCC ), or status‐post ( SP ) OSCC. Subjects and Methods Blood was collected from 47 patients, either controls or diagnosed with PMD , OSCC , or SPOSCC . Levels of cytokines and tumor marker were evaluated by ELISA s. Normal levels were based on previous studies and pathology determined by chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests. P  ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Above normal levels of SCCA were found for OSCC and dysplasia patients (33.3% and 11.1%, respectively) and high range of normal (upper 20% of the normal range) for lichen planus, SPOSCC , and dysplasia patients (6.67%, 33.3%, and 22.2%, respectively), differences that approached statistical significance ( P  = 0.055). No differences were found between groups for other tested markers. A progression was seen for SCCA from high range of normal in SPOSCC to a mixture of high normal and elevated in dysplasia to elevated in active OSCC , suggesting that SCCA may be correlated with cancer progression. Conclusion Higher levels of serum SCCA may serve as a marker for dysplasia and progression to oral carcinogenesis.