I. Matalliotakis et al., USE OF CA-125 IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS - INFLUENCE OF TREATMENT WITH DANAZOL, International journal of fertility, 39(2), 1994, pp. 100-104
Objective-To compare CA-125 levels in endometriotic women with normal
controls. Patients and Methods-The level of the oncofetal antigen CA-1
25 was measured in serum samples taken from 40 women, aged 21 to 33 ye
ars. Blood samples for CA-125 from 15 endometriotic women were measure
d before treatment, during the last 15 days of a 6-month administratio
n of Danazol, and 3 months after treatment, and were compared to findi
ngs in 15 women without endometriosis (from whom blood samples were ta
ken only once). Results-The CA-125 levels were significantly higher in
patients with endometriosis before treatment as compared with the con
trols (P<.01). The administration of Danazol significantly reduced the
levels of CA-125 (P<.01), and 3 months after treatment the levels of
CA-125 remained significantly lower (P<.05) as compared to the respect
ive pretreatment values. Conclusion-The results support the view that
the determination of CA-125 levels may assist in (a) evaluating women
with endometriosis and (b) treatment with Danazol.