Specificity of tumor markers (CEA, GICA, TPA, alpha-FP, FpA, gamma-GT) for the diagnosis of hepatic metastases from large bowel cancers.

In 98 patients affected by colorectal cancer (43 patients with colon cancer, 55 patients with rectosigmoid cancer) the specificity of some tumor markers (CEA, GICA, TPA, alpha-FP, FpA, gamma-GT) has been tested in evidencing the coexistence of liver metastases and the site of the primary tumor, i.e. the rectosigmoid region (rectum + 15 cm of the adjacent sigmoid colon) vs the rest of the colon. Liver metastases, present in 19 patients with colon cancer and in 24 with recto-sigmoid cancer, were previously ascertained by various instrumental investigations. Unlike previous studies which indicated CEA or alpha-FP as the most reliable markers to suggest the coexistence of liver metastases in such patients, the reported results allow the following sequence, in decreasing order of sensitivity, to be proposed: gamma-GT; FpA; CEA and GICA to a similar degree; TPA, which increases only when liver metastases from colon cancer are present; lastly, alpha-FP, which rises only in very few cases of massive hepatic involvement.