Serum glycoproteins in diagnosis and monitoring of patients with large-bowel cancer

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Abstract
The profile of serum glycoproteins is altered in malignancy with a relative increase in acute phase reactant proteins. Three sugar moieties (hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid) of these glycoproteins in the serum of large-bowel cancer patients were investigated as a possible guide to recurrence. These 3 variables were also compared with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The 3 variables indicated the presence of colorectal cancer in over 65% of 107 cancer-bearing subjects. The appearance of metastatic disease was associated with abnormalities in these variables in 10 of 11 patients and appears more accurately reflected than with CEA. The 3 variables and CEA are cumulative in their value for predicting recurrent cancer. Monitoring of acute phase reactant proteins may be of potential clinical benefit for monitoring of colorectal cancer patients at high risk of recurrence.