Usefulness of tumor marker CA-125 serum levels for the follow-up of therapeutic responses in tuberculosis patients with and without serositis.

The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) serum levels in patients with tuberculosis (TB) with and without tuberculous serositis. A total of 64 TB patients with a mean age of 58.17 ± 19.05 years were enrolled in this observational case series study. All patients underwent blood sampling for the measurement of CA-125 serum levels before treatment. If the CA-125 serum levels were found to be elevated, the patients underwent blood sampling in the initial treatment phase, continuation treatment phase, and every 6 months thereafter for 2 years. The treatment outcomes of the pulmonary TB group were evaluated using chest radiography and sputum examinations, and those of the tuberculous serositis group were evaluated on the basis of the amounts of fluid determined by ultrasound. All patients in the tuberculous serositis group and 45% of the patients in the pulmonary TB group had elevated CA-125 serum levels before treatment. The pretreatment mean CA-125 serum level was significantly higher in the tuberculous serositis group than in the pulmonary TB group. CA-125 serum levels decreased along with improvement in anti-TB treatment outcomes in both the groups. In conclusion, the CA-125 serum levels in combination with clinical responses, chest radiography, and sputum examinations, can offer better monitoring of therapeutic responses in anti-TB treatment.