title: CA 125 as an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: Serum CA 125 levels (upper normal value less than 35 U/ml) determined before surgery and 3 months after surgery were evaluated as independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinomas. In 163 women preoperative serum levels of CA 125 (p = 0.13) gave no additional information with regard to the relationship of survival prognosis to histologic grade (p = 0.04) and to the diameter of residual tumor mass (p = 0.03). In 132 patients serum CA 125 levels were also determined 3 months after surgery and reflected the effectiveness of the first two cycles of postoperative cytotoxic treatment. At that time CA 125 was the strongest independent prognostic factor for survival (p = 0.0006 Cox model), as compared with histologic grade (p = 0.06), International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage (p = 0.15), and diameter of residual tumor mass (p = 0.66). Therefore, we concluded that serum CA 125 levels determined 3 months after surgery can identify a high-risk population among patients with epithelial ovarian carcinomas for whom a more aggressive or more intensive treatment might be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sevelda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schemper
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spona
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate