Serum CA-125 levels in preeclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity, although an optimal screening model is still under investigation. The aim of the present meta-analysis is to accumulate current evidence and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CA-125 in preeclampsia.

Medline, Scopus, CENTRAL, Clinicaltrials.gov and Google Scholar were systematically searched. All studies reporting serum CA-125 among preeclamptic and healthy pregnant women were selected.

Nine studies involving 977 women were included. Meta-analysis revealed significant differences among patients with preeclampsia and control pregnant women (MD 15.86 IU/mL, 95% CI, 9.03-22.69). Patients with severe preeclampsia had significantly higher levels of CA-125 compared to patients with mild preeclampsia (MD 13.21 IU/mL, 95% CI, 1.94-24.49). Meta-regression analysis revealed that gestational age <34 weeks could positively affect this association.

The present meta-analysis suggests that serum CA-125 levels are increased in preeclamptic women during the third trimester of pregnancy. This association should be interpreted with caution as there are concerns for significant selection bias. Future studies are needed to corroborate these findings and investigate the diagnostic accuracy of this biomarker during early pregnancy.