AMNIOTIC-FLUID LEVELS OF CA-19.9 AND CA-15.3 IN NORMAL AND DOWNS-SYNDROME PREGNANCIES

CA 125, CA 19.9 and CA 15.3 are antigenic determinants on glycoprotein s commonly used as serum markers in gynecologic oncology. CA 125 was a lso investigated in the amniotic compartment of Down's syndrome pregna ncies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentration o f CA 19.9 and CA 15.3 in the amniotic fluid of normal and Down pregnan cies. The concentration of these antigens was measured in stored amnio tic fluid samples from 15-19 weeks pregnancies with and without Down's syndrome fetuses and expressed in multiples of the median for normal pregnancies of the same gestational age. The study group included 20 s amples selected from single Down's syndrome pregnancies. Each of these samples were matched with three control samples from unaffected pregn ancies, matched for maternal age, gestational age and duration of stor age of the sample. The median MoM values of CA 19.9 and CA 15.3 in Dow n's syndrome pregnancies were respectively 1.11 MoM and 1.16 MoM, not significantly different from those of unaffected pregnancies (CA 19.9: 1.02 MoM; CA 15.3: 0.99 MoM). In the present study we have not found significantly different levels of CA 19.9 and CA 15.3 in the amniotic fluid of fetuses affected by Down's syndrome and in the controls.