Evaluation of Serum Sialic Acid and Carcinoembryonic Antigen for the Detection of Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-1991

Abstract

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.

Volume

5

Issue

4

First Page

247

Last Page

254

ISSN

0887-8013

Disciplines

Medical Pathology | Pathology | Surgery

PubMedID

1890538

Department(s)

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Surgery Residents

Document Type

Article

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