Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Serum and Plasma Copy Number Detection Using Real-time PCR
Published on: December 15, 2017
Prevalence of CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3 serum tumour markers in different regions of Saudi Arabia
Abrar Ashi1, Marwan Al-Hajeili1, Sarah Almaghrabi1
1From the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (Ashi, Almaghrabi, Alrayes), Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences; from the Regenerative Medicine Unit (Ashi), King Fahd Medical Research Center; from the Center of Innovations in Personalized Medicine (Almaghrabi); from the Department of Medicine (Al-Hajeili); from the Department of Pathology (Al-Maghrabi); from the Department of Surgery (Trabulsi), Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, from King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (Alsiary), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and from the Research and Development Unit (Alghuraibi), Al Borg Medical Laboratories, Al Borg Diagnostics, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tumor marker levels for CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3 increase with age in Saudi Arabia. Older males showed elevated CA 125, suggesting age-dependent utilization of these cancer biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Tumor markers (TMs) like CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3 are crucial in cancer diagnostics.
- Understanding their prevalence across demographics is vital for accurate interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3 levels in the Saudi population.
- To analyze these levels based on gender, age, region, and referral type.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 7,019 samples from Saudi Arabia (2021-2022).
- Categorization of TM levels into normal and abnormal based on reference ranges.
- Statistical analysis using Chi-square and Spearman's tests to assess correlations with demographic variants.
Main Results:
- All three TMs (CEA, CA 125, CA 15-3) showed significant correlation with age (p=0.0001).
- CEA and CA 15-3 levels increased with age in both genders.
- Abnormally increased CA 125 levels were observed in older males.
Conclusions:
- Age is a significant factor influencing CEA, CA 125, and CA 15-3 levels in the Saudi population.
- While CEA and CA 15-3 remained within normal ranges with age, CA 125 was elevated in older males.
- The clinical utility of these TMs is age-dependent and requires consideration alongside other parameters.
