COMBINED ASSAY OF SERUM LEVELS OF CA125 AND CA19-9 IN ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA

Serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 were examined in 225 cases with endom etrial carcinoma before treatment and 32 cases with recurrent endometr ial carcinoma. The positive rates in the 225 cases were 27.1% for CA12 5, 24.0% for CA19-9, and 38.7% for the combined assay. The serum level s of both CA125 and CA19-9 significantly increased with surgical stagi ng. The presence of lymph node metastasis and extrauterine spread exhi bited a marked influence on the serum levels of both CA125 and CA19-9. Myometrial invasion and vessel permeation also increased serum levels of CA125, whereas peritoneal cytology and adnexal metastasis exhibite d no influence on CA125 levels or CA19-9 levels. Twenty-five of 33 cas es who showed either more than 100 U/ml of CA125 level or more than 10 0 U/ml of CA19-9 level were classified as surgical stage III or IV. Th e combined assay demonstrated a 71.9% positive rate at the time of det ection of the recurrence (65.6% for CA125, 43.7% for CA19-9). In 34.4% of the 32 recurrent cases, elevated levels of the tumor markers were the first sign of recurrence. These data indicate that the use of CA19 -9 in combination with CA125 is noteworthy in the management of patien ts with endometrial carcinoma. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.