title: [Clinical significance of serum CA 125 in patients with chronic liver diseases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical significance of serum CA 125 levels in patients with chronic liver disease has not been widely appreciated in relation to the severity of the disease. We examined serum CA 125 levels in patients with chronic liver disease according to the severity of liver disease and the presence of ascites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fasting serum CA 125 levels were measured by a commercial RIA kit in 92 patients with chronic liver disease: 22 with chronic hepatitis and 70 with liver cirrhosis (Child class A, 19; B, 28; C, 23). Forty-one patients (45%) had ascites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with Child class C liver cirrhosis had significantly higher mean serum CA 125 level than those with class A (p<0.05). In Child class B patients, the mean serum CA 125 level was significantly higher in patients with ascites than in those without (p<0.05). A multiple regression analysis showed that the presence of ascites, serum albumin, and prothrombin time were independent factors related to the increase of serum CA 125 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of ascites is more closely related to the increase of CA125 levels in patients with liver cirrhosis than the severity of liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Tongdaemun Hospital, 70 Jongro 6-ga, Jongro-gu, Seoul 110-783, Korea. kimdy@ewha.ac.kr
authors.forename: Young Shin
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Doe-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kum Hei
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Myung Shin
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hae Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hye-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Kwon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Il Hwan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Baek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001201:Ascites / Q000097:blood; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen