Investigation of tumor markers in colorectal cancer

SUMMARY Serum AFP, CEA, CA 19-9, CA 125 and CA 15-3 levels of 20 healthy people and 34 patients diagnosed as having colorectal cancer and staged by colonoscopic, radiologic and histopatahologic examinations in General Surgery Departmant of Turgut Özal Medical Center, inönü University (Malatya / Turkey) were analyzed and the correlations among there markers were evaluated. When the patients were graded into age groups containing ten each, between 31-70 age, increases in serum AFP, CEA, CA 19-9,CA 125 and CA 15-3 levels paralelling the increases in age were not observed.In 31-70 age group,a comparision between patients with colorectal cancer and controls revealed a very significant correlation in CEA (p<0,0001) and CA 15-3 (p<0,003),and significant correlation in CA 125 (p<0,05).Increases in CEA, CA 15-3 and CA 125 can be used as highly significant parameters in the diagnosis of colorectal cancers.Differences in terms of CA 19-9 and AFP levels were found to be statistically in significant. No significant difference was detected between the rises of these parameters and the localization of the tumors. According to Duke's classification.CEA levels in colorectal cancers rose parallel with the progression of the Stage, the difference for stage B was found to be nonsignificant, for Stage C p<0,03 and for Stage D p<0,002.Differences with regard to CA 15-3 were unsignificant at Stage B, p<0,003 at Stage C and p<0,002 at Stage D.Due to a regular rise in CEA and CA 15-3 levels in line with the progression of stages, it was concluded to be usefull in the determination of clinical stages.Despite a general rise of CA 125 in patients with colorectal cancer, this had no parallel in the progression of the stage. Increase of CEA and CA 15-3 in colorectal cancer patients were found to be statistically very significant comparaed to controls.However the most prominentrise was observed in 51-60 age group, the differences were found to be p<0,003 and p<0,05 respectively. In conclusion, significant rises of CEA and CA 15-3 levels in colorectal patients parellel to progression in clinical stages could be employed in the fallow-up of clinical progression of colorectal cancers and in the determination of metastasis and recurrence.These parameters becomes more valuable with the age, especially over 50. 42