The role of CA 125 in the early diagnosis of progressive disease in ovarian cancer.

The role of CA 125 determination in diagnosing progression of ovarian cancer was evaluated in 98 patients of whom forty-nine had progressive disease. An elevated CA 125 level at the time of progression was found in 36 (73%) patients. In 31 (63%) patients CA 125 increase preceded clinical progression for a median time lag of 4.5 months (range 0.5-29.5 months). The combination of serum CA 125, gynecological and general physical examination detected progression in 45 (92%) patients. The additional contribution of second-look surgery, CTscan, chest X-ray and routine laboratory tests was minimal.