Abstract
SCC antigen is squamous cell specific serine protease inhibitor. To detect squamous cell carcinoma cells in peripheral blood of uterine cervical cancer patients, we applied fluorescence-based RT-PCR system to measure SCC antigen mRNA level in peripheral blood. Positive rates of SCC antigen mRNA were 80.6% (25/31) in invasive cancer and 0.7% (2/30) In healthy volunteers. Furthermore, 33% (3/9) of early stage (CIS) of cervical cancer showed positive values. The copy number of SCC antigen mRNA in cancer patients was dramatically decreased after treatment. These data suggest that this system might be useful for diagnosis and monitoring of squamous cell carcinoma.
