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. 2011 Nov;17(11):CR618-625.
doi: 10.12659/msm.882046.

Determination of CA-125 levels in the serum, cervical and vaginal secretions, and endometrium in Chinese women with precancerous disease or endometrial cancer

Shu-Ming He  1 , Fuqi Xing, Hong Sui, Youming Wu, Yongli Wang, Dong Wang, Guanghui Chen, Zijing Kong, Shu-Feng Zhou
Affiliations

Determination of CA-125 levels in the serum, cervical and vaginal secretions, and endometrium in Chinese women with precancerous disease or endometrial cancer

Shu-Ming He et al. Med Sci Monit. 2011 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Serum CA-125 has been used as a biomarker of gynecological tumors. In this study, we investigated the CA-125 levels in cervical and vaginal secretions from Chinese patients with endometrial polyps, hyperplasia and carcinoma in comparison with those in endometrium and serum.

Material/methods: An electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay was utilized to determine the levels of CA-125 in 51 healthy Chinese women and 97 patients with polyps, hyperplasia or endometrial cancer. An immunohistochemistry method was used to detect endometrial CA-125 expression in 242 subjects.

Results: Our study demonstrated that serum CA-125 levels were much lower than those in cervical and vaginal secretions in healthy and diseased women. The levels of CA-125 in serum, and cervical and vaginal secretions were significantly increased in complex hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. The increase of CA-125 content in serum, cervical and vaginal secretions was lesser significant in grade 3 cancer than that in grade 1 and 2 cancer. Generally, serum CA-125 levels correlated with those in cervical and vaginal secretions and CA-125 content in cervical secretion correlated with that in vaginal secretion. There was only a weak CA-125 expression in normal endometrium and simple endometrial hyperplasia. There was a significant difference in CA-125 expression among patients with pathological grade 1, 2 and 3 of endometrial carcinoma.

Conclusions: Endo.metrial CA-125 expression together with its levels in the serum and cervical and vaginal secretions can be used as a potential biomarker in the diagnosis of precancerous diseases and endometrial carcinoma.

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Figures

Figure 1A–D
Figure 1A–D
Endometrial staining of CA-125 in different groups of subjects (magnification × 400). (A) proliferative phase endometrium; (B) secretory phase endometrium; (C) non-functional endometrial polyps; (D) simple hyperplasia.
Figure 1E–H
Figure 1E–H
Endometrial staining of CA-125 in different groups of subjects (magnification × 400). (E) complex hyperplasia; (F), grade 1 endometrial carcinoma; (G), grade 2 endometrial carcinoma; and (H), grade 3 endometrial carcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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