title: The Significance of Normal Pretreatment Levels of CA125 (<35 U/mL) in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between normal CA125 levels at diagnosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) with prognostic factors and with outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of histologically confirmed EOC patients with normal pretreatment CA125 levels, and the controls consisted of EOC patients with elevated (≥35 U/mL) pretreatment CA125 levels, diagnosed and treated between 1995 and 2112. Study and control group patients fulfilled the following criteria: 1) their pretreatment CA125 levels were assessed; 2) they had full standard primary treatment, i.e. cytoreductive surgery and cisplatin-based chemotherapy; and 3) they were followed every 2-4 months during the first two years and every 4-6 months thereafter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 114 EOC patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, 22 (19.3%) had normal pretreatment CA125 levels. The control group consisted of the remaining 92 patients with ≥35 U/mL serum CA125 levels pretreatment. The proportion of patients with early-stage and low-grade disease, with optimal cytoreduction, and with platin-sensitive tumors was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group on univariate analysis but not on multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that a normal CA125 level at diagnosis in EOC may also be of prognostic significance for the individual patient.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Menczer
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Erez
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Shem
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golan
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E. Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Tally
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Levy
keywords: Epithelial ovarian cancer; normal CA125 levels; prognostic factors; survival