Concentration of CEA, CA-125 and CA19-9 tumor markers in sulfur mustard exposed veterans

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare weapon that leads to alkylation, epigenetic changes, and increased production of oxidants in the cells and also known as a carcinogen. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancerantigen125 (CA-125), and cancerantigen19-9 (CA19-9) are tumor markers applicable in diagnosis and follow-up of gastrointestinal, pancreas and lung cancers. Given the carcinogenic effect of SM and the importance of tumor markers, aim of this study is compare of the tumor markers in chemical victims and control group.Method 150 Iranian chemical victims of SM during Iraq-Iran war and 150 healthy controls that had no exposure to SM were studied. Serum concentration of CEA, CA-125, and CA19-9 were measured by ELISA and compared between the two groups.Results Mean concentration of tumor markers in chemical victims group compared with control was 2.72 vs 1.88 ng/ml; (p <0.01) for CEA, 9.06 vs 4.44 U/ml; (p <0.01) for CA-125, and 22.35 vs 11.33 U/ml; (p <0.01), for CA19-9. Weakly positive correlation was found between CEA and CA-125 (p: 0.018, r: 0.193), as well as between CEA and CA19-9 (p: 0.047, r: 0.184) in control and chemical victims group, respectively.ConclusionSignificant increased levels of CEA, CA-125 and CA19-9 in SM victims are consistent with the results of other studies on carcinogenic property of SM. In addition, as weakly positive correlation between CEA and CA19-9 in exposure to SM in this study and confirmation of this association by other researches, more precise experiments are suggested in the future concerning colorectal and pancreatic cancers in SM victims.

کلیدواژه ها:

Sulfur mustard ، CEA ، CA125 ، CA19-9 ، cancer