Postrecurrence Prognostic Impact of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen and Serum p53 Antibody at the Time of Recurrence on the Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction: Only a few papers have evaluated the postrecurrence prognostic impact of serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and serum p53 antibody (s-p53-Abs) on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) recurrence. Methods: A total of 218 patients with ESCC who underwent subtotal esophagectomy between 2009 and 2020 were enrolled. Among them, 67 patients developed recurrence by the end of 2020. The postrecurrence prognostic impact of SCC-Ag and s-p53-Abs on recurrence was evaluated. Results: SCC-Ag, but not s-p53-Abs, positivity increased significantly at recurrence. After combining both tumor markers, 52 of the 67 patients (78%) showed positivity at recurrence. The positivity of s-p53-Abs was not associated with postrecurrence prognosis. SCC-Ag positivity was slightly associated with poor postrecurrence prognosis, although the difference was not significant. Among the subgroups according to the SCC-Ag and the s-p53-Abs status at recurrence, the double-positive group showed the worst prognosis after recurrence. Conclusions: A combination of serum SCC-Ag and s-p53-Abs showed a high positivity rate of 78% at recurrence, and concurrent use of both the tumor markers may guide postoperative follow-up.