Squamous cell carcinoma antigen concentration in fine needle aspiration samples: A new method to detect cervical lymph node metastases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

van Schaik, Jeroen E; Muller Kobold, Anna C; van der Laan, Bernard F A M; van der Vegt, Bert; van Hemel, Bettien M; Plaat, Boudewijn E C · Head Neck · 2019

retrospective_cohort · Level III

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the additional diagnostic value of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in cervical lymph node fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples for the detection of regional metastases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In 149 FNA samples of 114 patients, SCC-Ag concentration was retrospectively analyzed and associated with diagnosis to establish a cutoff concentration in relation to sensitivity and specificity of HNSCC detection. SCC-Ag was elevated in lymph nodes from patients with HNSCC compared to lymph nodes from other patients (P < 0.01). With 0.3 μg/L as the cutoff concentration, SCC-Ag has 96% sensitivity for detecting HNSCC. SCC-Ag in FNA is a reliable test for detecting HNSCC in cervical lymph nodes.

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