Objective: To study the correlation between SCCA, CYFRA 21-1, Ki-67, and clinicopathological factors in ESCC patients.

Material and Method: Pretreatment SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 serum levels were measured, while the expression of Ki-67 was assessed on tumor tissue. The associations between these biomarkers, clinicopathological factors, and overall survival were analyzed.

Results: One hundred sixty six patients participated in this study. Elevated SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 were found in 78.9% and 50.0% of the patients, respectively, while 42.8% had both serum markers elevated. The SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 levels were not correlated (p = 0.128) to each other, nor to age, sex, T, N, M, location, grade, or Ki-67. High Ki-67 expression levels were significantly correlated with T4 (p = 0.010), M1 (p = 0.010), and poor grade (p = 0.015) but not to age, sex, N, or location. Levels of SCCA, CYFRA 21-1, and Ki-67, alone or in any combination, were not correlated to survival of patients.

Conclusion: The authors showed that Ki-67 in tumor tissue is probably a more reliable marker than serum SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 in predicting the clinical course of ESCC.

Keywords: SCCA, CYFRA 21-1, Ki-67, Esophagus cancer, Squamous cell