[Tumor markers in some chronic inflammatory diseases in rheumatology: a statistical evaluation].

BACKGROUND: Since tumor markers can be high in the course of many inflammatory diseases, the aim of this study is to verify if it also occurs in the course of rheumathologic chronic inflammatory diseases, and if there is any statistical correlation between tumor markers and inflammatory indices.

METHODS: Seventy-nine patients (51 females and 28 males) with rheumatologic chronic inflammatory diseases, aged 17-92 years, were studied, all of them took 4 mg of prednisone. alphaFP, CEA, TPA, CA19.9, CA15.3, CA72.4, CA125, ferritina, beta2 microglobuling, betaHCG, and free and total PSA in males, were evaluated as tumor markers; and VES, PCR and Fibrinogen, as inflammatory indices.

RESULTS: The results obtained showed that there is a significative correlation between ferritin, beta2 microglobulin, TPA and PCR, and between free and total PSA and Fibrinogen.

CONCLUSIONS: PCR is a very good index of an active disease and it can be helpful, along with tumor markers, in the monitoring of chronic inflammatory diseases.