Serum concentrations of CA-125 in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies

The present prospective study aims to investigate the serum concentrations of CA-125 in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies and thus to specify the clinical utility of this biochemical marker in prediction, diagnosis and follow up of preeclampsia.

The present study reviews a total of 242 women with singleton pregnancy. These participants were categorized into three groups: control (n = 100), mild preeclampsia (n = 78) and severe preeclampsia (n = 64). The three study groups were statistically similar in aspects of maternal age, gestational age and body mass index.

Serum CA-125 concentrations were found to correlate positively with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.345, p = 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.379, p = 0.001), platelet count (r = 0.368, p = 0.001), serum levels of uric acid (r = 0.415, p = 0.001) and urine concentrations of protein (r = 0.357, p = 0.001). On the other hand, CA-125 levels correlated negatively with estimated fetal weight (r = -0.451, p = 0.001) and birthweight (r = -0.363, p = 0.001). When the cut-off point for serum CA-125 concentrations was accepted as 50 IU/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of this biochemical marker were, respectively, 93.7 and 88.0% for the detection of preeclamptic pregnancies. On the other hand, positive and negative predictive values for CA-125 were computed as 91.7 and 90.7%, respectively ( χ (2) = 30,184, p = 0.001).

The present study suggests that CA-125 is a biochemical marker which reflects the severity of the underlying inflammatory process in preeclampsia. Since it is much more available and relatively less expensive, it seems to be a promising test for screening preeclampsia. In accordance, the present study suggests 50 IU/ml as a cut-off point for CA-125 in screening preeclampsia.