Serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant chemotherapy is a useful prognostic factor for complete responders' survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the serum CA-125 level for complete responders after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.


METHODS
The clinical data of 123 complete responders after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer FIGO stages III and IV were collected between January 1997 and March 2007. All patients were divided into 3 groups according to the serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of the chemotherapy: group I (< 10 U/ml), group II (10-21 U/ml), and group III (> 21 U/ml). The effect of the serum CA-125 level on survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard analysis.


RESULTS
The median progression-free survival was 26, 14, and 10 months, and the median overall survival was 105, 42, and 37 months in groups I, II, and III, respectively (p < 0.05). The lower serum CA-125 level and optimal debulking surgery were prognostic factors for improving survival (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy may be a good prognostic factor for survival in complete responders after 6 cycles of chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hee Seung
HS
Kim
Noh-Hyun
NH
Park
Hyun Hoon
HH
Chung
Jae Weon
JW
Kim
Yong-Sang
YS
Song
Soon-Beom
SB
Kang
D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel