Some information provided by the Mayo Clinic.
The CA-125 is a test that is used to measure the level of CA-125, a protein (cancer antigen 125) in your blood. CA-125 levels can provide important insight to the growth of ovarian cancer cells within your body since elevated levels of CA-125 are often in higher-than-normal amounts in the blood of women with ovarian cancer.
Overall, more than 80 percent of women with advanced ovarian cancer will have an elevated CA-125 level, yet the test is not as useful in detecting early stage disease (approximately 50% accurate).
Why It’s Done?
There are several reasons why a person would get a CA 125 test:
- To monitor cancer, your condition, and treatment.
- To check for ovarian cancer, especially if you have a strong history of ovarian cancer in your family.
- To check for cancer recurrence after treatment.
The rate at which CA-125 levels change is often an indirect measurement of the level of cancer growth and inflammation in your body. The CA-125 blood test is best used for observing the trend of an ovarian cancer patient’s results over time. Most gynecologic oncologists employ a CA-125 test for surveillance of ovarian cancer after the diagnosis has been surgically confirmed because it is a good indicator of a persistent or recurrent disease. When a CA-125 returns elevated, it can mean any of several benign conditions including:
- Endometriosis
- Liver disease
- Menstruation
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Pregnancy
- Uterine fibroids
