What should I do if the cancer antigen 125 is too high? What does cancer antigen 125 mean?

CA125 is a glycoprotein tumor-associated antigen that exists in the epithelial cells of ovarian tumors. When patients suffer from epithelial ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer, the serum CA125 level can be significantly increased.

The serum CA125 level of ovarian cancer patients is significantly increased, and its positive rate can reach 97%, so it has great clinical value in diagnosing ovarian cancer, especially in observing the treatment effect and judging recurrence. Other cancers, such as cervical cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, etc., also have certain positive reactions. In addition, 3% to 6% of patients with benign ovarian tumors and uterine fibroids sometimes have elevated serum CA125.

Cancer antigen 125 is mainly used to assist in the diagnosis of malignant serous ovarian cancer and ovarian epithelial cancer. It is also a good indicator for evaluating the efficacy and judging whether there is recurrence. Increased levels can be seen in ovarian cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, etc.; non-malignant tumors such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, etc. also increase; in addition, increased levels of cancer antigen 125 can be seen in benign and malignant pleural effusions and ascites, and there is also a possibility of increased levels of cancer antigen 125 in the first three months of pregnancy. Since there are signs of increased levels now, you should have regular physical examinations, especially gynecological examinations.

In fact, non-malignant tumors, such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, pancreatitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis and other diseases will have different degrees of CA125 increase, but the positive rate is low. Therefore, it is recommended to do a more comprehensive examination, especially for the related diseases mentioned above. Tumors cannot be ruled out, and related examinations must also be done.