Prognostic significance of six autoantibodies in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective multi-institutional study

Aim: Serum autoantibodies have been reported to react with tumor-associated antigens in various cancers. This study evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic significance of six autoantibody panels in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: In this study, 193 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and 78 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum antibodies were detected using originally developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect autoantibodies against the following tumor antigens: c-myc, p62, RalA, p53, Sui1, and NY-ESO-1. The positive rates of the six-autoantibody panel were compared with those of SCC antigen (SCC-Ag). The prognostic significance of these autoantibodies was also evaluated. Results: The overall positive rate was significantly higher in the six-autoantibody panel than in SCC-Ag (72% vs. 28%; p < 0.01). The positive rates of the six-autoantibody panel were 71% in stage 0/I, 73% in stage II, and 71% in stage III. No clinicopathological factors were associated with autoantibodies. Although the difference was not significant, the overall survival of the autoantibody-positive group was worse than that of the autoantibody-negative group (p = 0.14). Conclusion: The six-autoantibody panel was useful for detecting esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, particularly in stage 0/I; however, it showed limited prognostic significance.