Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology
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J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. · Jul 2011
Prognostic and predictive relevance of CA-125 at primary surgery of ovarian cancer.
Despite radical surgery and chemotherapy, most patients with ovarian cancer develop recurrence and die due to progressive disease. To stratify patients for optimal therapy, prognostic and predictive factors are needed. We examined the role of pre- and postoperative CA-125 in this context. ⋯ Although CA-125 serum levels differ significantly before and after surgery in early and advanced-stage ovarian cancer and preoperative CA-125 values correlate with surgical outcome in advanced-stage disease, we could not determine a preoperative cutoff value for prediction of the surgical result. A prognostic relevance was only observed for postoperative CA-125 in stage III/IV patients.