Ovarian cancer antigen CA 125 levels in pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy

Abstract

Circulating CA 125 levels were studied in patients with gynecologic cancer and pelvic inflammatory diseaseand in pregnant women. The CA 125 level was elevated (>;35 U/ml) in 69% (9/13) of patients with active ovarian cancerin 32% (7/22) of patients with active cervical or endometrial cancerin 24% (11/46) of pregnant womenand in 33% (10/30) of patients with acute pelvic inflammatory disease. Sixty-three other patients with nonmalignant gynecologic disordersincluding 15 patients with ectopic pregnancyhad normal CA 125 levels. The occurrence of elevated CA 125 levels in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease can limit the use of the assay for diagnosis of cancer in young women. Gynecologic tumors may be associated with inflammatory reactions that may contribute to elevated CA 125 levels in some cancer patients.