Macrophage colony-stimulating factor as a tumor marker for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. |
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| Authors: | C Kuropkat A A Dünne S Plehn M Ossendorf U Herz H Renz J A Werner |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany. kuropkat@med.uni-marburg.de |
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| Abstract: | It has been demonstrated that in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is significantly elevated in the serum compared to healthy individuals. Therefore, M-CSF has been suggested as a tumor marker in these malignancies. In the present study, the tumor marker potential of the serum M-CSF concentration in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) was investigated. The serum M-CSF concentration was determined by a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay in 59 patients suffering from SCCHN and 59 healthy controls. A significant difference in the mean serum concentration of M-CSF between the patients with SCCHN and the control group was found (p = 0.002). The M-CSF serum concentration correlated neither with the stage of disease nor with histopathological grading, and no correlation with serum C-reactive protein was found. The serum M-CSF concentration could be of interest as a tumor marker in SCCHN. |
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