Cited 7 times since 2019 (1.1 per year) source: EuropePMC Head & neck, Volume 41, Issue 8, 4 1 2019, Pages 2561-2565 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 JE, Muller Kobold AC, van der Laan BFAM, van der Vegt B, van Hemel BM, Plaat BEC
Background
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).
Methods
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.
Results
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.
Conclusions
SCC-Ag in FNA is a reliable test for detecting HNSCC in cervical lymph nodes.
