[Usefulness of measurement of serum CA125 levels in diagnosing and treating endometriosis]

Abstract

We investigated the usefulness of the measurement of serum CA125 levels for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of endometriosis. An additional study concentrated on the production of CA125. 1. Elevated levels of serum CA125 were noted in 52 of 66 patients with endometriosis in which the positive rate was 78.8% and mean was 119.8 U/ml. The mean value and positive rate of serum CA125 levels in patients with adenomyosis were higher than those in pelvic endometriosis. 2. The correlation between preoperative serum CA125 levels and the extracted tissue weight was statistically significant. The tissue concentration of CA125 of adenomyosis was 1,479.3 +/- 1,087.1 U/g and that of pelvic endometriosis was 309.7 +/- 23.1 U/g wet weight. 3. The serum CA125 levels in patients with adenomyosis fell postoperatively, and all were below 35 U/ml within two weeks. The serum CA125 levels were below 35 U/ml in 13 out of 15 patients (86.7%) with pelvic endometriosis treated with danazol and the change in the serum CA125 levels was closely related to the clinical course. 4. Clinicopathological states with a high level of serum CA125 were observed in patients with normal and ectopic pregnancy, puerperium, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and peritonitis. It was concluded that the measurement of serum CA125 levels was useful in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of endometriosis, and CA125 might be produced and/or secreted not only from the endometrium but also from the peritoneum.