[Comparative evaluation of diagnostic significance of carbohydrate antigen CA125 and cancer-embryonal antigen in ovarian cancer].

Blood CA125 carbohydrate antigen levels were measured in 131 patients with malignant, benign, and borderline ovarian diseases. Parallel measurements of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were carried out in 101 of them. The diagnosis with CA125 measurements was found highly sensitive (96%), specific (77%), and accurate (73%). For CEA these values were, respectively, 60, 64, and 24%. Since CEA levels in the blood of ovarian cancer patients are not high even in stages III-IV condition, correlation between CEA and CA125 levels avsent, and the method of CEA measurements inaccurate, we think it unadvisable using CEA as a separate marker in diagnostic investigations, more so in monitoring the efficacy of treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.