Serum CA 125 levels in patients with a provisional diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease. Clinical and theoretical implications.

In 50 patients with a provisional diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), CA 125 concentrations in serum were measured before laparoscopy and during hospitalization, using an enzyme immunoassay. The findings at laparoscopy were graded on the basis of the extent of inflammatory peritoneal involvement (grades 0-3; normal observations having a score of 0). On admission, 66% of the patients had serum CA 125 concentrations in excess of the cut-off value of 16 U/ml (range: 20-1300 U/ml). The serum CA 125 concentration before laparoscopy correlated with the extent of inflammatory peritoneal involvement (eta = 0.74). The predictive value of an elevated serum CA 125 level to indicate the presence of salpingitis (grades 1-3) was 97%. However, the predictive value of a normal CA 125 level indicating normal observations at laparoscopy (grade 0) was only 47%. During treatment and follow-up, the serum CA 125 concentration returned gradually to normal levels. It was concluded that the finding of an elevated serum CA 125 level confirms the diagnosis of peritoneal involvement in patients with a clinical diagnosis of PID.