Ovarian cancer ranks first among the main causes of female death from malignant tumors. Data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests that around 165,000 cases of ovarian cancer are reported globally each year and about 100,000 women die from the disease. In Russia, there are 16 cases of illness and 8 deaths due to malignant ovarian tumors per 100 thousand female people . Life expectancy with this disease is a maximum of 5 years, and such cases are about 30%, since most women turn to doctors for help only in the last stages of the disease, when they already feel a serious malaise.
The development of effective diagnostic methods for this type of cancer is an urgent task. Currently, there are a large number of different diagnostic methods: ultrasound, x-ray tomography and magnetic resonance, immunological and biochemical analyzes, laparoscopy. The most common and widely used to determine the presence of ovarian cancer is the CA-125 glycoprotein antigen, which is the main tumor marker of this type of cancer. The norm of CA-125 in the blood is 35 U / ml.
A small amount of CA-125 is always present in women in the endometrium - in the mucous membrane of the uterus. Due to the presence of natural barriers, it cannot penetrate the bloodstream. The level of CA-125 tends to increase to 35 U / ml, but only during menstruation and most often with endometriosis.
The norm of CA-125 is 35 U / ml, when the indicator is not exceeded for the above reasons, then this is already a symptom of cancer.
It could be cancer:
- uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries
- mammary glands
- lungs
- pancreas
- digestive system (rectum, liver, stomach)
- other malignant tumors.
The content of glycoprotein CA-125 can be increased not only in case of cancer of the female reproductive system, therefore it is impossible and incorrect to make a diagnosis based on these data only. Additional studies are required in this case. That is, the analysis of CA-125 may not be the only diagnostic indicator.
Also, the norm of CA-125 can increase quite strongly in the presence of benign gynecological tumors or inflammatory diseases of the appendages. The tumor marker is slightly increased in the following health conditions:
• Ovarian cyst
• Endometriosis
• inflammation of the appendages
• Menstruation
• Peritonitis
• pleurisy
• STI (sexually transmitted infection)
• Hepatitis, cirrhosis
• Pancreatitis in chronic form
• There are also cases of a slight increase in the CA-125 tumor marker for autoimmune diseases and in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The study of CA-125 in the blood is mainly used to determine serous ovarian cancer, as well as the diagnosis of its relapse. In almost 83% of women with ovarian cancer, their levels are about 123-164 U / ml in the blood. For the serous form of ovarian cancer, the degree of increase in CA-125 norm depends on the stage of the tumor itself: in the first and second stages, an increase in CA-125 occurs in about 50% of cases, in the third and fourth stages already in all patients. In women with ascitic form of ovarian cancer, the norm of CA-125 in the blood is exceeded to 10 -20 thousand units / ml.
With effective chemotherapy or tumor removal by surgery, the content of CA-125 in the blood decreases. If CA-125 is increased further, then this is an indicator of the progression of the tumor process. Typically, to assess the effectiveness of chemotherapy, the level of CA-125 is examined, both before and after each course of treatment. The frequency is 1-2 months.