Clinical utility of antigen carbohydrate 125 in heart failure

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new biomarkers with potential prognostic implication in heart failure (HF). Nevertheless, most of them do not fulfill the required criteria for being used in daily clinical practice. Tumor marker antigen carbohydrate 125 (CA125), a glycoprotein widely used for ovarian cancer monitoring, is synthesized by epithelial serous cells in response to fluid accumulation and/or cytokine stimuli. This glycoprotein has been emerged as a potential biomarker in HF. Plasma CA125 correlates with clinical, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic parameters related to the severity of the disease. High levels have shown to be present in the majority of acutely decompensated patients, and in this setting, it has shown to be independently related to mortality or subsequent admission for acute HF. In addition, certain characteristics such as wide availability and the close correlation between plasma changes with disease severity and clinical outcomes have increased the interest of researchers about the potential of this glycoprotein for monitoring and guiding therapy in HF. In this article, we have reviewed the available evidence supporting the potential role of CA125 as a biomarker in HF.