Serum carbohydrate antigen-125 levels as a marker in non hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract EN

Sixty-seven patients with newly diagnosed Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were included in this study.

Serial measurements of serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) levels were studied in conjunction with serum Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in monitoring response to treatment.

LDH showed increased levels in 52 out of 67 patients (77.6%).

Ten apparently healthy subjects were studied as a control group.

A total of 36 out of 67 patients (53.7%) had increased serum CA-125 levels.

Increased serum CA-125 levels were significantly associated with advanced stage, higher grade, abdominal serosal involvement, bone marrow involvement and bulky disease.

P values were significant in abdominal involvement and in serosal involvement (P<0.05).

(Elevated serum CA-125 levels were associated with high serum levels of LDH (49.2%) (P values were significant < 0.05).

Of the 36 patients presented with high serum CA-125 levels, 30 patients achieved a complete remission (CR) with normalization of CA-125, four cases achieved partial response and 2 patients had stable disease and-had not achieved normalization of CA-125 levels by the end of treatment.

Conclusion: High serum CA-125 levels were found to be significantly associated with mediastinal, abdominal involvement, high tumor bulk and pleural effusion.

Sensitivity of serum LDH and CA-125 was 83.6% and 66.6% respectively which indicated that the biologic information provided by them are different.

Serum LDH provides a measurement of the tumour load and proliferative activity, while serum CA-125 provides the invasive potential of the tumour