Predictive value of serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 levels on radiotherapy efficacy and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Monitoring changes in serum tumor marker concentrations can help in the early diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there are few methods to monitor the efficacy and prognosis of radiotherapy in NSCLC patients. The present research aimed to explore the correlation between radiotherapy efficacy and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) and cytokeratin 19 soluble fragment (CYFRA21-1) levels in NSCLC patients. Serum CYFRA21-1 and SCCA were detected with an automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer. Patients with NSCLC were followed up by telephone at regular intervals for 35 months. The chi(2) test was used to compare clinical characteristics such as age, gender, smoking history and other count data between groups. Predictive value of serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 on the efficacy of radiotherapy was analyzed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. The survival of the patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. The serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 levels in the NSCLC group were apparently higher by comparison with control group. The SCCA and CYFRA21-1 concentration were both positive relevant to Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage. The Area Under Curve (AUC) of serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 were 0.732 and 0.721, respectively. In addition, high serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 levels could predict poor radiotherapy outcomes. Patients with high serum concentration of SCCA and CYFRA21-1 have shorter survival times. High serum SCCA and CYFRA21-1 levels could predict poor prognosis and unfavorable efficacy of radiotherapy in invalids with NSCLC.