Elevation of Serum CEA in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anus

Serum tumor marker and CT body composition scoring system predicts outcomes in colorectal cancer surgical patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative body composition and serum tumor markers (STM) in patients undergoing surgical treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) and to establish the prognostic score for patients with CRC.

METHODS

This study enrolled 365 patients (training set 245, validation set 120) with CRC who underwent surgical resection. The predictive value of various body composition features and STM for determining CRC prognosis were compared. A novel index score based on the independent risk factors from Cox regression for CRC patients was established and evaluated for its usefulness.

RESULTS

Multivariate Cox regression showed that low skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMD) (p = 0.020), low subcutaneous fat area (SFA) (p = 0.029), high carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (p = 0.008), and high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (p = 0.039) were all independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival (OS). The multifactorial analysis indicated that high intermuscular fat area (IMFA) (p = 0.033) and high CEA (p = 0.009) were independent prognostic factors for poor disease-free survival (DFS). Based on these findings, two scoring systems for OS and DFS were established in the training datasets. CRC patients who scored higher on the new scoring systems had lower OS and DFS (both p < 0.001) as shown in the Kaplan-Meier survival curves in the training and validation datasets.

CONCLUSION

In predicting the prognosis of CRC patients, SFA and SMD are superior to other body composition measurements. A scoring system based on body composition and STM can have prognostic value and clinical applicability.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This scoring system, combining body composition and serum tumor markers, may help predict postoperative survival of CRC patients and help clinicians make well-informed decisions regarding the treatment of patients.

KEY POINTS

Colorectal cancer prognosis can be related to body composition. High intermuscular fat area and CEA were independent prognostic factors for poor disease-free survival. This scoring system, based on body composition and tumor markers, can prognosticate for colorectal cancer patients.

Prognostic significance of a novel index score based on the inflammation-based prognostic scores of patients with colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIM

This study aimed to clarify the prognostic value of various inflammation-based prognostic scores (IBPSs) in patients who underwent radical surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) and to develop a novel prognostic index using IBPSs and other predictive factors.

METHODS

Data of 1157 patients who underwent radical surgery for CRC were reviewed. The predictive value of various IBPSs in determining the CRC prognosis was compared. A novel index score based on the IBPSs and other parameters that were associated with survival in patients with CRC was established, and its usefulness was evaluated.

RESULTS

The patients were randomly divided into the training (n = 694) and validation (n = 463) sets. Male sex (P = 0.0001), age ≥ 75 years (P < 0.0001), a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level of > 5 (P = 0.0009), a C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) of ≥ 0.04 (P = 0.0033), and a prognostic nutritional index (PNI) of < 43.1 (P = 0.0004) were poor independent prognostic factors of overall survival. The novel index score was calculated based on the scores of these five prognostic factors. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the CRC patients with higher novel index scores in the training and validation datasets had poorer overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

CAR and PNI were superior to other IBPSs for predicting the prognosis of CRC patients. The novel index score established based on sex, age, CEA level, CAR, and PNI can predict the prognosis of CRC with more precise and clearer stratification than the individual parameters alone.

Expression Levels and Clinical Significance of Serum miR-497, CEA, CA24-2, and HBsAg in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

The objective of the current study was to look at the levels of blood micro ribonucleic acid- (miR-) 497, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 24-2, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as the clinical importance of these markers in CRC patients. The serum levels of miR-497, CEA, CA24-2, and HBsAg were compared between 60 patients with CRC (observation group) and another 60 patients with colorectal polyps (control group). The 4 indicators in patients with lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis were compared. The diagnostic effects of 4 detection methods and the combined detection were analyzed, and the influence of 4 indicators on the 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients was discussed. The results showed that the serum levels of miR-497 and HBsAg were lower, and the levels of CEA and CA24-2 were higher in the observation group (P < 0.05). The combined detection had the best diagnostic effect, and CEA alone had the best prediction effect. The serum level of miR-497 was significantly lower in patients with lymphatic metastasis, with the significantly higher levels of CEA and CA24-2 (P < 0.05). The HBsAg level of patients with liver metastases was greatly lower than that of patients without liver metastases (P < 0.05). The 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients with high levels of CEA and CA24-2 was significantly lower than that of patients with low level of CEA. The 5-year cumulative survival rate was lower in patients with low level of HBsAg, but the difference was small. The 5-year cumulative survival rate of patients with elevated serum miR-497 was observably lower. In conclusion, combined detection could diagnose CRC more accurately. Serum miR-497, CEA, and CA24-2 were important in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of CRC. HBsAg did a better job of predicting liver metastases in CRC patients. High level of CEA significantly reduced the cumulative survival rate of CRC patients and could predict the long-term survival rate of patients. Serum levels of miR-497, CEA, CA24-2, and HBsAg played a positive role in the diagnosis and evaluation of CRC and could identify lymph node and liver metastases, having a high clinical guidance value.