Carcinoembryonic antigen in women with isolated pelvic masses. Clinical utility?
OBJECTIVE
To determine the usefulness of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determination in predicting the nature of an isolated pelvic mass.


METHODS
Two hundred twenty-six women with an isolated pelvic mass had a serum CEA determination preoperatively. The results were correlated with the histopathologic findings.


RESULTS
CEA was elevated in 19 of the 226 women. Twelve of the 183 (7%) women with benign masses, 2 of the 17 (12%) women with tumors of low malignant potential and 5 of the 15 (33%) women with a frankly invasive epithelial ovarian cancer had elevated CEA. None of the women with a malignant germ cell or stromal tumor had elevated CEA (P = .06 for prediction of malignancy.) There were no cases of metastatic gastrointestinal malignancies in the study group. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of serum CEA were 16%, 93%, 37% and 83%, respectively. The corresponding figures for serum CA-125 were 67%, 71%, 35% and 90%. There was no statistically significant correlation between elevated CEA and mucinous histology.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative serum CEA determination in women with isolated pelvic masses is not useful.
Roman
L D
LD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's and Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Muderspach
L I
LI
Burnett
A F
AF
Morrow
C P
CP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen