title: Pretreatment CA 15-3 levels do not predict disease-free survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the role of pretreatment CA 15-3 levels as a predictor of disease-free survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 65 patients with FIGO stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer was evaluated. Patients were treated either with primary cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy or with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with interval debulking surgery. All patients had pretreatment CA 15-3 and CA 125 tumor marker determinations. The patients were divided into a group with elevated CA 15-3 and a group with normal levels. The two groups were compared with regard to clinical and survival measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients' median age was 65 years (range, 37-90); 34 (52%) were at stage III and 31 (48%) at stage IV. CA 15-3 was elevated (>30 units/mL) in 44 (68%) patients, with a median level of 39 units (range, 4-2282). CA 125 was elevated (>35 units/mL) in 61 (94%) patients, with a median level of 947 units (range, 4-30,642). CA 125 and CA 15-3 levels were not correlated (r = 0.015, P = 0.332). The median follow-up was 22 months (range, 3-120 months). Fifty-three (81%) patients had disease recurrence and 43 (66%) died. Survival analysis showed that patients with elevated and normal CA 15-3 levels had similar recurrence-free survival (P = 0.78) and overall survival (P = 0.55).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although elevated in the majority of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, CA 15-3 levels are not predictive of survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel. gemer@barzi.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gemer
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oustinov
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gdalevich
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubnik
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Adela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yachnin
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lavie
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Baruch
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben Arie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018396:Mucin-1