Estimation of serum tumour necrosis factor-α and correlation to tumour markers in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: Estimation of serum tumour necrosis factor-α levels and correlation with tumour markers for the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma before treatment. Patients and Methods: Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-α and 3 other tumour markers - carcinoembryonic antigen, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, and immunosuppressive acidic protein -were simultaneously measured in 38 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and in 36 healthy controls. Results: The mean serum concentration of tumour necrosis factor-α for patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (14.1 ± 13.2 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (5.2 ± 3.1 pg/mL) [p < 0.05]. The mean serum concentration of tumour necrosis factor-α was lower for patients who were pathological node-positive than for pathological node-negative patients. A significant correlation was observed between the serum tumour necrosis factor-α levels and pathological parameters. The mean serum concentration of tumour necrosis factor-α was also significantly higher for patients who had a good clinical course (16.7 ± 18.6 pg/mL) than for those with a poor clinical course (9.6 ± 5.9 pg/mL) [p < 0.05]. The survival curve revealed a better prognosis for serum tumour necrosis factor-α-positive patients than for serum tumour necrosis factor-α-negative patients. A significant correlation was observed between the serum tumour necrosis factor-α levels and the tumour markers, squamous cell carcinoma antigen and immunosuppressive acidic protein (p < 0.05). Conclusion: An evaluation of serum tumour necrosis factor-α level in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma appears to be a valuable screening tool for the prognosis and treatment of patients with this cancer.