What are the markers for ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is a serious disease that threatens women, and its incidence rate is second only to cervical cancer. Ovarian cancer is not easy to detect in its early stages. By the time it is discovered, it is usually in the middle or late stages. So what markers will be found when you are examined for ovarian cancer?

1. For some rare ovarian cancers, other tumor markers should also be measured. For example, AFP should be measured for immature teratomas and endodermal carcinomas, Scc should be measured for teratomas, CA125, LDH isoenzymes I-III and AFP should be measured for dysgerminomas, and hCG should be measured for choriocarcinomas.

2. The sensitivity of CA125 and TAG72 is also related to the stage of ovarian cancer. In stage I, the positive rates of CA125 and TAG72 are 50% and 40%, respectively, while in stage #, they can rise to 85%-90% and 70%-80%, respectively. Research data show that CA125 has nothing to do with the degree of histological differentiation.

3. Since CA125 has a high sensitivity in stages I and II, and its specificity for ovarian cancer can be as high as 97%, it can be used as a screening parameter for ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women, especially for postmenopausal women with lower abdominal tumors. The diagnostic sensitivity for such patients is 84% ​​and the specificity can reach 92%, which is significantly higher than that of premenopausal women (sensitivity is 50% and specificity is 69%). If CA125 is measured at this time and combined with abdominal ultrasound, its positive predictive value can reach almost 100%.

4. CA125 is also of great clinical value in monitoring the treatment effect. Generally speaking, after complete removal of the tumor, the serum concentration of CA125 will drop to normal levels, and it will drop by half in about 5 days. However, due to peritoneal trauma caused by laparotomy, the CA125 level may remain at around 300ug/ml 2-3 weeks after the operation. Generally speaking, the 2-year and 5-year survival rates of patients whose CA125 serum concentration decreases faster after surgery are higher than those whose serum levels decrease more slowly.

5. Long-term observation results after ovarian cancer surgery show that 50%-90% of recurrent patients will have a significant increase in tumor marker concentration 3-4 months before a radiological diagnosis can be made, and in some cases even 18-24 months earlier.