Serum Amyloid A Protein (SAA) in Colorectal Carcinoma

• Published in: Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 129 - 133
• Main Authors: GLOJNARIC, Ines, CASL, Martin-Tino, SIMIC, Diana, LUKAC, Josip
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Walter de Gruyter 01.02.2001; New York, NY
• Subjects: alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Case-Control Studies; Colorectal Neoplasms - blood; Colorectal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colorectal Neoplasms - surgery; Confidence Intervals; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Humans; Medical sciences; Orosomucoid - metabolism; Serum Amyloid A Protein - metabolism; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Tumors; Human; Rectal disease; Biochemical analysis; Carcinoma; Tumoral marker; Malignant tumor; Blood; Colonic disease; Serum amyloid protein SAA; Acute phase protein; Surveillance; Clinical biology; Rectum; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Colon; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 1434-6621; 1437-4331
• DOI: 10.1515/CCLM.2001.022

The changes in serum levels of serum amyloid A protein were studied in 67 patients suffering from colorectal carcinoma and compared to three other major acute phase proteins: C-reactive protein, α1-antichymotrypsin and α1-acid glycoprotein. Although the presence of colorectal carcinoma caused an increase in serum levels of all the acute phase reactants studied, serum amyloid A protein showed the most powerful reaction in pre-operative disease stage, with the mean value of 330 mg/l (range 7–2506 mg/l) as compared to the normal values of <1.2 mg/l obtained in 30 healthy adults. The mean serum amyloid A protein concentration increased to 487 mg/l after surgery, declining during the post-operative clinical course until the sixth chemotherapy cycle (from 167mg/l to 64 mg/l), but never returned to the normal range. In the later chemotherapy cycles, mean serum amyloid A protein increased to 163 mg/l, probably as a result of the disease relapse. According to the statistical relations among exact confidence intervals for proportions, serum amyloid A protein showed the best specificity for colorectal carcinoma of all the acute phase proteins studied (83–100%) and also a sensitivity of 100%. We concluded that serum amyloid A protein seems to be a reliable parameter, which could be recommended for clinical routine as a non-specific tumour marker for colorectal carcinoma.