Serum Sialyl Tn Antigen in the Patients with Gastric Cancer-Comparison with CEA, CA19-9 and TPA-

Matsuo Nagata, Takenori Ochiai, Takao Suzuki, Yoshio Gunji, Kazuaki Nakajima, Yoshio Koide, Kaichi Isono

Second Department of Surgery, Chiba University, School of Medicine

The serum sialy Tn antigen (STN) level was measured in 97 patients with gastric cancer (cutoff value: 45 U/ml) before surgery. The overall positive rate was 37.1%, and it was elevated along with the histological stage of gastric cancer. In the patients with peritoneal dissemination, the postive rate was 72.7%, and the average serum STN level was significantly higher compared with patients in stage IVb without peritoneal dissemination. There were no significant differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA19-9 and tissue polypepide antigen (TPA) level whether or not the stage IVb patients had peritoneal dissemination. Liver metastasis had no differences on STN levels in stage IVb patients. In the resected cases, the STN-positive rate was significantly higher inthe patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without. The prognosis of patients in stage IV worsened, as the STN level became higher. These results indicate that measurement of the serum STN level is useful for the diagnosis of peritoneal dissemination before surgery, and that it can be a prognostic factor in gastric cancer.

Key words
sialyl Tn antigen, gastric cancer, peritoneal dissemination, prognostic factor

Reprint requests
Matsuo Nagata Second Department of Surgery, Chiba University, School of Medicine
1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, 260 JAPAN

Accepted
March 8, 1995

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