For women with ovarian cancer,
CA 125 levels were found to correlate with tumour burden in 93% of cases.
Various alimentary canal and pelvic cancers have already been associated with the high concentrations of
CA 125 in the blood8,9,15,16.
CA 125 levels were determined by the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method using the DXI 800 automatic quantitative hematology analyzer (Beckman Coulter Inc., CA, USA).
Auge et al., "HE4 a novel tumour marker for ovarian cancer: comparison with
CA 125 and ROMA algorithm in patients with gynaecological diseases," Tumor Biology, vol.
Judson, "Sarcoidosis associated with an elevated serum
CA 125 level: description of a case and a review of the literature," The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, vol.
For a premenopausal woman who has not completed childbearing, transvaginal ultrasonography with serum
CA 125 testing can be considered.
Until recently the only discriminator was the cancer antigen 125 (
CA 125) tumour marker.
Women cannot be screened for
CA 125 levels until 35, but Janet argues this age limit should be lowered.
Irritable bowel-type symptoms and/or raised
CA 125 levels do not necessarily mean you have ovarian cancer, as both of these can also be caused by other more benign conditions.
Among the tests being recommended for Arroyo are a PET scan and tumor marker tests such as alpha feto protein for the liver, varcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for the breast and pancreas and
CA 125 calcitonin for the medullary thyroid.
Serum
CA 125 concentrations in patients with benign ovarian tumours.
Other diagnostic tests include a
CA 125 blood test and a transvaginal ultrasound.
Results: The serum CEA and
CA 125 levels were found to be significantly elevated in gastric cancer patients than in controls.
