Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase and Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

Abstract

Peripheral blood leukocyte alkaline phosphatase scores and plasma carcinoembryonic antigen levels in 26 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were compared to those in 30 healthy controls. Patients had metastases to the liver and abdomen. The mean leukocyte alkaline phosphatase score in the metastatic colorectal cancer patients was significantly higher than in the control group (246 +/- 65 vs, 52 +/- 26, p less than 0.001); and the mean carcinoembryonic antigen level in the patients was also significantly higher than in the controls (110 +/- 100 vs, 4.9 +/- 3 ng/ml, p less than 0.001). One hundred percent of the metastatic cancer patients had elevated LAP scores and 73% of these patients had elevated CEA levels. There was a difference between the mean CEA levels in the patients with liver metastases and those with abdominal metastases (162 +/- 135 vs, 39 +/- 53 ng/ml, p less than 0.04). The results suggest that although both markers were elevated in metastatic colorectal cancer, the LAP score seems to be more useful in detecting metastatic disease, since we found 11% false negatives with the CEA level and 0% false negatives with the LAP score.

Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase as a Probable Predictor of the Metastatic State in Breast and Colon Cancer Patients

“…In all cases that have been studied in Assaf Harofeh [1][2][3][4][5] as well as in the present work it was found out that whenever métastasés were diagnosed in a patient, the LAP score was much higher than its regular value for that patient. Thus the present study shows that the LAP test yields an earlier detection of métastasés in many cases.…”

“…The 30 breast cancer patients developed métastasés to the bones ( 12), liver (9). lung (4). skin (4).…”

“…Elevated LAP scores have been found in different clinical and hematological disorders and solid tumors and could be used as a biologic nonspecific marker in cancer [1]. This enzyme is useful in detecting metastatic malignan cies in different tumors like breast cancer [2], colorectal cancer [3,4], lung cancer [5], and other malignant diseases [ …”

Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase and Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Lung Cancer Patients

“…Several investigators have proposed that blood levels of CEA can be used to indicate the clinical course of colon and rectal cancer, as well as other cancers and benign diseases [2], Some authors correlated the CEA levels in pa tients who suffered from carcinoma of the lung [3 6], Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP) is a hydrolytic enzyme capable of splitting phosphate esters. Elevated LAP scores have been found in different clinical and hema tological disorders, and solid tumors [7], LAP scores seem to be considerably more useful than CEA levels in detect ing metastatic disease in breast cancer patients [8], The LAP score has at least the same reliability as the CEA val ues as a marker of stage in colorectal cancer patients and seems to be more useful than CEA in detecting metastatic colorectal cancer [9,10]. In the present study we measured LAP scores in peripheral blood and CEA levels in plasma in recently diagnosed lung cancer patients referred to our clinic, before they received any treatment.…”

Immune Monitoring of Surgical Colorectal Malignancies through Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Alpha-Fetoprotein Serum Levels, Flow-Cytometric Blood Lymphocyte Phenotyping and Tumor DNA Analysis

“…On the other hand, a similar rate of CEA and AFP positivity was noticed in both groups. In this problem area [28][29][30], it is interesting to outline that higher preop erative mean values of CEA were found in the HAT group, as compared with the LAT group. The two distinct models of im mune cellular deficiency, including signifi cantly higher alteration in blood lymphocyte amounts in HAT patients before tumor exere sis, support the chief role given nowadays to lymphocyte phenotyping in evaluating the different degrees of immune reactivity char acterizing several cancers [1][2][3][31][32][33],…”