Biochemical analysis of cytokeratin fragment 21-1 concentration and expression of cytokeratin 19 in oral potentially malignant disorders

Introduction: Cytokeratin fragment 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), a constituent of the intermediate filament protein is known to be elevated in cancer. In vitro cleavage of cytokeratin 19 (CK19) protein results in the release of it's fragments into the supernatants of premalignant cell lines. This study was designed with the aim to investigate the concentrations of CYFRA21-1 in serum and saliva of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), to evaluate CK19 expression in tissues of the same patients and to correlate the levels of CYFRA21-1 concentration in serum and saliva with CK19 expression in OPMDs, and to compare it with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which was taken as positive control. Materials and Methods: Concentration of CYFRA21-1 was measured in saliva and serum of 30 OPMD cases with five patients having OSCC using ELISA technique and analysis of CK19 protein expression in the tissue of same patients using immunohistochemical technique was done. Results: Concentration of CYFRA21-1 in saliva and serum with regard to CK19 protein expression in tissues was significantly higher in control group than in study groups. Conclusion: CYFRA21-1 can be used as a promising diagnostic molecule and as an adjunctive marker for early detection, disease staging, and monitoring.