CYFRA 21–1 as a tumor marker for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

This study assessed the clinical value of CYFRA 21–1 in comparison with squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In 112 primary cancer patients, the diagnostic sensitivity of CYFRA 21–1 (33.9%) was superior to SCC-Ag (28.6%), CEA (12.5%), and CA19–9 (6.3%). Levels of CYFRA 21–1 were closely correlated with TNM stage and were below the cutoff value in all 21 patients with stage I disease. All 38 patients with a CYFRA 21–1 level over the cutoff value among the 80 patients who underwent esophagectomy had lymph node metastases (pNl). A correlation was found between CYFRA 21–1 levels and clinical response in serial measurements of 21 patients who received chemotherapy or chemo radiotherapy. Our findings suggest that CYFRA 21–1 is not useful for diagnosis, but that it is valuable for monitoring the efficacy of therapy.