Long-term prognostic value of CA 125 serum levels in mild to moderate heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND

Plasma levels of tumor marker carbohydrate 125 antigen (CA 125) have been found elevated among patients with advanced heart failure (HF). We evaluated the prognostic value of CA125 in a population of patients with mild to moderate HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Serum levels of CA 125 were obtained in 102 patients with mild to moderate HF from idiopathic (48%) or ischemic (52%) dilated cardiomyopathy (age 64 ± 10.4 years, left ventricular ejection fraction: 34.4 ± 8.5%), under optimized medical therapy. During follow-up (43 ± 15 months), 16 (15.7%) cardiovascular deaths and 23 (22.5%) cardiovascular deaths + HF hospitalizations were recorded. Considering cardiac death, comparison of Kaplan-Meier survival curves by the log-rank test showed that patients with CA 125 levels higher than the cut-off value (30 U/mL) had a worse survival (P < .0001). This was observed also when considering cardiovascular death+ HF hospitalizations as the secondary end point (P = .0003). Event-free survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Multivariable Cox proportional stepwise hazards regression analysis was performed and showed that CA 125 and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) were significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular deaths + HF hospitalizations (HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.02-1.06, and HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.1, P < .001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In mild-to-moderate HF patients under optimized therapy, higher plasma CA 125 levels are an effective long-term prognostic marker in forecasting cardiovascular events and HF hospitalization and may contribute to a better risk stratification.