Elevated serum CA-125 levels in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.
The clinical significance of serum CA-125 measurements in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease has not been investigated. This study showed that serum CA-125 levels were elevated in some patients with NTM pulmonary disease. Further studies are needed to investigate the usefulness of serum CA-125 measurements in patients with NTM pulmonary disease.


OBJECTIVE
Although cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) is a useful marker for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, CA-125 levels are elevated in many benign conditions, including tuberculosis (TB). The clinical significance of serum CA-125 measurements in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease was evaluated.


METHODS
Patients with NTM lung disease (n=53), in whom serum CA-125 levels had been measured, were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Twenty-eight patients with pulmonary TB were included as a comparison group. Clinical, radiological and bacteriological parameters were assessed according to serum CA-125 status.


RESULTS
Among 53 patients with NTM lung disease, serum CA-125 levels were elevated in 28 (52.8%), and this proportion was not significantly different from that of the TB patients (44.8%). Cavitation and upper lobe cavitary type disease were more frequent in NTM patients with elevated serum CA-125 levels compared with those without increased CA-125 levels (P<0.05 for both). The clinical course of NTM lung disease was correlated with changes in serum CA-125 levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum CA-125 levels were increased in significant proportions of NTM patients, as well as TB patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the usefulness of serum CA-125 measurements in patients with NTM pulmonary disease.
Kim
Sun Young
SY
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Hong
Yoonki
Y
Choi
Chang-Min
CM
Oh
Yeon-Mok
YM
Lee
Sang Do
SD
Kim
Woo Sung
WS
Kim
Dong Soon
DS
Shim
Tae Sun
TS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D018394:CA-125 Antigen