Elevated serum CA 125 secondary to tuberculous peritonitis.

A 33-year-old African-American woman presented with a 10-day history of abdominal pain, fever to 104 degrees F, and ascites. Her PPD converted to positive. A serum CA 125 level was 708 U/ml before therapy. Tuberculous peritonitis was diagnosed via peritoneal biopsy. The CA 125 level was used to follow response to treatment and was undetectable after 12 weeks of antituberculous treatment. This tumor marker may be used to follow disease activity in non-neoplastic ascitic states.