Composite ovarian cancer marker 'may be superior to CA 125'
Source: Gynecologic Oncology 2004; 95: 9-15
Evaluating the performance of CA 125, soluble mesothelin related marker, and both combined in ovarian cancer diagnosis and screening.
US study findings suggest that a composite marker (CM) combining CA 125 and soluble mesothelin-related (SMR) marker may outperform CA 125 alone both in a diagnostic setting and in longitudinal screening programs for ovarian cancer.
"Adding one or several markers to CA 125 for use as a CM would improve diagnostic performance if sensitivity were improved with no loss in specificity," note M. McIntosh (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) and co-workers.
To evaluate the performance of a CM that combines CA 125 with SMR for detecting clinical disease, they assessed serum levels of both markers in 52 women with ovarian cancer, 43 controls with benign ovarian tumors, and 220 healthy women. Receiver operating curve analysis revealed that the CM had a greater sensitivity than CA 125 at the same degree of specificity.
When the researchers analyzed paired serum samples collected 1 year apart from 25 healthy women, they found that the temporal stability of the CM was at least as high as that of CA 125, indicating that the CM might perform better in longitudinal screening.
They conclude: "The CM may outperform CA 125 alone in a longitudinal screening program as well as in a diagnostic setting."
Posted: 1 November 2004
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