title: The prognostic implications of low serum CA 125 levels prior to the second-look operation for stage III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: Second-look laparotomy is performed to evaluate response to chemotherapy and to determine the need for additional treatment. The relationship between absolute levels of serum CA 125 less than 35 u/ml and disease status at second-look operation was evaluated in 95 patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. Eighty-six patients had Stage III disease and nine patients had Stage IV cancer. Residual tumor was documented at second-look laparotomy in 52 (55%) of the patients studied. Forty-nine percent of the 82 patients with serum CA 125 values less than 20 u/ml had residual disease. In contrast, 12 of 13 (92%) patients with serum CA 125 values of 20-35 u/ml had residual tumor at second-look laparotomy. All patients with serous cystadenocarcinomas and serum CA 125 values of 20-35 u/ml had residual tumor, and two-thirds of these cases had grossly visible disease. The positive predictive value of a serum CA 125 level of 20-35 u/ml was 0.92. These data suggest that second-look laparotomy should be deferred in patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer until serum CA 125 values are less than 20 u/ml.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington 40536.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Gallion
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: van Nagell
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Averette
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Husseinzadeh
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Nahhas
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Partridge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate