Prognostic impact of perioperative change in serum p53 antibody titers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background The clinical effectiveness of tumor markers for estimating prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. We assessed the clinical impact of changes in perioperative serum p53 antibodies (s-p53-Abs) titers in ESCC. Methods From January 2011 to March 2021, 249 patients were enrolled in this study. Titers of s-p53-Abs were measured before the initial treatment and 3 months after esophagectomy. Patients were divided into a s-p53-Abs decreased or unchanged group (Group D, n = 217) and an increased group (Group I, n = 32). Short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the groups. Results There was no correlation between the changes in squamous cell carcinoma antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen titers and recurrence site, number of recurrent lesions, and prognosis. However, the recurrence rate was significantly higher in Group I than in Group D (53.1% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.008), especially for distant organ recurrence (37.5% vs. 18.4%, p = 0.019). Furthermore, the rate of polyrecurrence was higher in Group I than in Group D (34.4% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.009). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly worse in Group I than in Group D (median survival time, 21.2 months vs. 36.7 months, p = 0.015). Multivariate analysis revealed that lymphatic vessel infiltration (hazard ratio [HR], 1.721; 95% CI 1.069–2.772; p = 0.026), blood vessel infiltration (HR, 2.348; 95% CI 1.385–3.982; p = 0.002), advanced pathological stage (≥ III) (HR, 3.937; 95% CI 2.295–6.754; p < 0.001), and increased s-p53-Abs titers (HR, 2.635; 95% CI 1.488–4.667; p = 0.001) were independent predictors of poor RFS. Conclusions Elevation of s-p53-Abs titers after esophagectomy can predict polyrecurrence in distant organs and poor prognosis.