Preoperative tumor marker CA125 levels in relation to epithelial ovarian cancer stage.

The paper deals with 62 ovarian cancer patients observed from 1988 to 1997. Considering the ovarian cancer stage, the patients were divided in two groups. Group I consisted of 31 patients at the early stage of ovarian carcinoma (FIGO classification I and II), while group II included 31 patients with the advanced disease (FIGO classification III and IV). According to FIGO classification, a majority of group I and group II patients was classified as IA (61.3%) and IIIC, respectively. Ovarian carcinoma of the serous pathohistologic type accounting for 48.4% prevailed in both groups, but there were also endometroid and mucinous types. Sensitivity to CA125 was observed in 93.5% of the group I and in 96.7% of the group II patients. In group I, the mean value of tumor marker CA125 read 262.97 U/ml, median 93 U/ml, ranging from 13-2000 U/ml. In comparison with group I, the mean value of group II tumor marker CA125 was significantly higher reading 1053.81 U/ml, median 365 U/ml, with CA125 levels ranging from 15-9960 U/ml. In relation to patients at the early stage of ovarian cancer, preoperative CA125 serum levels were statistically more significant in the advanced ovarian cancer patients (statistically significant difference p = 0.002). When comparing CA125 levels and tumor differentiation according to Broders, no statistically significant difference was observed in both group I (p = 0.6144) and group II (p = 0.6605). The statistically significant correlation (p = 0.00008) was confirmed between advanced ovarian carcinoma and less differentiated tumors (Broders differentiation III and IV).