Diagnostic value of CA125 as a predictor of recurrence in advanced ovarian cancer

Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish the guidelines for detecting early recurrences of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer by use of the CA-125 level. Materials and Methods: Eighty-five of the patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. The authors examined 25 incremental changes of CA125 from one to 25 IU/ml, and compared the CA-125 value with other prognostic factors. Increases in the CA-125 level from the nadir level were expressed as CA-125- increments. Results: Among the 25 increments, a CA-125-8 (eight IU/ml) was selected as the predictor that was the most efficient and time-effective. CA-125-8 had a sensitivity of 91.5%, a specificity of 84.6%, a positive predictive value of 93.1%, a negative predictive value of 81.5%, an efficiency of 89.4%. and a median lead-time of 68.5 days (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The authors suggest the incremented CA-125-8 as a predictor of recurrent advanced ovarian cancer.