[Prognostic value of serum CA125 level in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE

To judge the prognostic value of serum CA125 level in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

METHODS

Sixty-six untreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) confirmed histologically were studied. They received two to four cycles of chemotherapy, some of them combined with radiotherapy. All these patients were assayed for serum CA125 before treatment. The cut-off value of serum CA125 level was 35 U/ml.

RESULTS

Increased serum CA125 levels were observed in 24 out of 66 patients (36.4%). Patients with increased serum CA125 levels had an average survival rate of 12.5% at 1 year and 0 at 2 years, whereas that of patients with normal serum CA125 levels was of 57.1% at 1 years, 14.3% at 2 years and 7.1% at 3 years. Cox proportion hazard multivariate analysis showed that the prognosis of patients was related to serum CA125 levels (P = 0.000) and effects of treatment (P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

CA125 can be used as an independent prognostic parameter in advanced NSCLC.