Ovarian Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ovarian Cancer, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, information. | ||||||||
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Chemotherapy-induced changes of CA 125 in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.Søgaard CH, Lindegaard JC, Havsteen H, Nielsen OS, Mogensen O Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Skejby Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. chsogaard@dadlnet.dk OBJECTIVES: CA 125 is a tumor marker widely used to diagnose, monitor, and follow-up women with epithelial ovarian cancer, as the marker is well related to the amount of vital tumor cells. However, CA 125 before the operation or during the first 2 courses of chemotherapy does not provide enough information concerning survival to serve as a prognostic marker. The present investigation was inspired by studies describing a paradoxical increase of tumor markers (CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3) in the days after chemotherapy of women with breast cancer. If CA 125 increases within days after chemotherapy, the increase may be caused by death of the cancer cells. It was therefore speculated if a CA 125 spike may serve as an early prognostic parameter. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate if CA 125 increases within days after the first course of chemotherapy of women with ovarian cancer. PATIENTS: Twenty women with epithelial ovarian cancer were included in the study. CA 125 was measured in each woman on day 0 (the day of, but before initiation of chemotherapy) and 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 14 days after chemotherapy. RESULTS: One woman was excluded due to normal CA 125 values. The remaining 19 patients displayed a significant decrease in CA 125 during the 14-day period after chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: In the present study, no chemotherapy-induced increase of CA 125 within the first 14 days after chemotherapy could be demonstrated. Published 2 May 2005 in Gynecol Oncol, 97(2): 410-2.
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