Fauzia Abdus Samad, Abdus Samad Syed.
Association Of Serum CA-125 Levels With Non-Hodgkin`s Lymphoma.
Pak J Physiol Jan ;13(1):54-6.

Background: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is a common malignancy presenting to oncology out-patient departments. Several prognostic markers including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), BCL-2 and beta-2 micro-globulin have been studied and have been found to be of significance. Serum CA-125 has been studied in the past and feeble but unclear association was found. The present study aims at finding an association between serum CA-125 levels and NHL. Methods: One hundred patients (90 males, 10 females) with histological diagnosis of NHL diffuse large Bcell type were enrolled in the study through convenience sampling method. After documenting the demographics (age, gender and performance status), staging investigations including bone marrow aspiration/trephine, CT scans, baseline haematology and biochemistry. Serum LDH and serum CA-125 levels were measured at diagnosis and completion of treatment. Results: Fifty-eight patients had normal serum CA-125 levels while 42 patients had raised levels. Patients with high CA-125 levels at baseline had higher international prognostic scores. These patients had poorer response to treatment. Raised CA-125 levels were found more frequently among patients who had ascites or pleural effusions due to lymphoma. Conclusion: Serum CA-125 level measurement before during and after treatment correlates with response to treatment and increasing levels following treatment completion can predict disease relapse ahead of time.

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