A case of ovarian cancer with remote metastases, with emphasis on changes in tumor marker values.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of cancer patients with distant metastases is extremely poor. CASE: A 51-year-old Japanese woman with Stage IIIc serous cystoadenocarcinoma of the ovary achieved complete remission. At 30 and 39 months after the initiation of therapy, solitary brain and then spleen metastases without intraperitoneal lesions were found, respectively. A simultaneous elevation in tumor markers (CA125 and CA72-4) was noted at the spleen metastasis; however, only a marked elevation in CA 72-4 levels at the brain metastasis was noted. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that although CA125-positive cells could be observed in both the original tumor and the spleen metastasis, CA125-positive cells could not be observed in the brain metastasis and that CA72-4-positive cells could be observed in both the original ovarian tumor and the metastatic tumor.
CONCLUSION: It is important to monitor with tumor markers with different characteristics, such as CA125 and CA72-4.