Clinical Relevance of the CA 125 Assay in Monitoring of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients

Chung, Min Hyung; Lee, Seon Kyung; Kim, Seung Bo

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of preoperative serum CA-125 level of primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma with respect to prognostic factors (histologic grade, tumor stage, success of cytoreductive operation) and to assess the relationship between the changes of serum CA-125 level and 5-year survival rate after the cytoreductive operation and chemotherapy.
METHODS
We retrospectively investigated the results of 101 patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer staged over IC, who had been diagnosed and treated at Kyung-Hee University Medical Center from January 1991 to April 2003. They were managed with cytoreductive operation and chemotherpy. They were monitored by serum CA-125 level serially during treatments.
RESULTS
There were significant differences of preoperative serum CA-125 level in histologic types, histologic grades, presence of ascites, presence of lymph node involvement, success of cytoreduction and success of 5-year survival (P<0.05). But no difference was found in FIGO stage (P>0.05). There were significant differences of 5-year survival rate in groups divided by pre- and postoperation serum CA-125 level (P<0.05). And significant differences were shown between serum CA-125 values and 5-year survival rate in three cycles of chemotherapy (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Serum CA-125 level is a valid tumor marker in predicting the responsiveness of cytoreduction and combined chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer. Measurement of serum CA-125 levels during treatment might permit an early change to optimal forms of therapeutic management or alternatives.