Assessment of Serum CA 125 Response to Chemotherapy in Sudanese Female with Ovarian Cancer Referred to Radiation and Isotope Centre in Khartoum State

Abstract

Purpose this study was conducted to assess the response of CA125 levels to carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy in Sudanese females with ovarian carcinoma Patients and Methods in a cross sec onal study, 40 female pa ents with histologically proven ovarian carcinoma who were referred to Radiation and Isotope Centre, Khartoum/Sudan, were enrolled. They all were receiving carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure serum CA125 within first day of referral as an initial sample, then after the first month of chemotherapy and after the second month of chemotherapy. The pa ents age range was 24-70 years, the chemotherapy dura on ranged from 2-12 months. Results The mean serum CA125 levels were 75.09, 34.6, and 36.9 U/ml at the initial samples, first month samples and second month samples of chemotherapy, respectively. In comparison with the ini al CA125 level, both level after the first month of chemotherapy and level after the second month of chemotherapy showed a significant decline (P=0.032,0.030) respec vely. While CA125 level from the first to the second month of chemotherapy showed insignificant decline (P=0.85). There was no correla on between the response of CA125 and the duration of chemotherapy (correla on coefficient=0.3) Conclusion Serial changes in CA125 can be used as a reliable indicator of disease response or progression so that patients can be classified as responding or progressing according to either standard or CA125 criteria.