title: Elevated serum CA-125 levels in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoonki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Chang-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yeon-Mok
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sang Do
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Woo Sung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Soon
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Sun
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Shim
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018394:CA-125 Antigen