[Clinical use of CA-125 in gynecology. Preliminary experience]

CA-125 levels were measured in 27 normal women, 11 with benign gynecologic pathology and 13 with ovarian cancer in different stages of evolution. The analysis of data was made retrospectively. Considering a level of 65 U/ml as normal, no false positives were found. Patients with benign gynecologic pathology behave as the normal ones with no significative differences in their levels. Levels higher that 65 U/ml were always found in women with ovarian cancer. There were 4 patients with negative levels and clinically or surgically verified disease. Positive levels correlated with histologic type and with surgical staging. In patients with serial levels, decrease in tumoral volume was correlated with decrease in levels. These data suggest that the behaviour of CA-125 in our local population is the same as reported in the literature. It is useful, when is positive, in follow-up, management and prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. Its negativity is not guarantee of cure and positive levels make evident the presence of the disease. It is a poor diagnostic method because of its low sensitivity.