Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) Antigen, Serum

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA), which is associated with cervical squamous cell carcinoma, belongs to the superfamily of high molecular weight serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) that was characterised through immunising rabbits with a crude protein extract prepared from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix. Two major groups of this antigen exist; the neutral fraction which, is found in normal squamous epithelia, and the acidic fraction which, is mainly detected in the periphery of tumour nests and in the sera of patients with SCC.

Serum SCCA levels correlate with the extent of disease in patients with cervical SCC; the incidence of elevated pretreatment serum SCCA levels ranges from 33% in stage I to 93% in stage IV disease. Higher SCCA levels are also indicative of deep tumor infiltration and lymph node involvement. Moreover, the measurement of post-treatment SCCA levels is useful in monitoring the response to therapy and in predicting tumor recurrence and metastasis. Elevated serum SCCA levels are also found in patients with advanced SCCs of the head and neck, lung, and esophagus. In addition to squamous cell tumors, SCCA is also detected in the sera of patients with skin disorders, such as psoriasis and eczema and lung diseases.

2 ml Serum Room Temperature

Up to 1.5 ng/ml