Tumor markers panel and tumor size of ovarian dermoid tumors in reproductive age

• Published in: Bratislavské lékarské listy Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. 95 - 98
• Main Authors: Var, T, Tonguc, E A, Ugur, M, Altinbas, S, Tokmak, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovakia 2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; alpha-Fetoproteins - analysis; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate - analysis; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Carcinoembryonic Antigen - analysis; Dermoid Cyst - diagnosis; Dermoid Cyst - pathology; Female; Humans; Ovarian Neoplasms - diagnosis; Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0006-9248
• DOI: 10.4149/BLL_2012_022

To study whether there is any relationship between a serum tumor markers panel (CA19-9, CA 125, CEA, CA15-3 and AFP) and the tumor size in patients with ovarian dermoid cyst in reproductive age.
Between January 2006-2007, 160 patients were operated in the Department of Infertility, Zekai Tahir Burak Women Health Hospital due to ovarian dermoid cyst.
The clinical data and serum tumor markers levels of operated patients were retrieved from the records of the department. This was a retrospective study.
Forty-four patients (37.6 %) had high levels of CA 19-9 , twenty-seven patients (19.3 %) had high CA 125 levels, eleven patients (9.4 %) had high levels of CEA, five patients (4 %) had high levels of CA 15-3 and one patient (0.9 %) had high AFP levels at the time of initial surgery. The bilaterality rate was 8.1 %. When grouping the tumor size as 10 cm, the mean serum levels of tumor markers had significantly increased by increasing the tumor size (p<0.05) for CA 19-9, CA 125, CEA.
Our study suggests that serum CA 19-9 is probably more accurate marker than other tumor markers in the ovarian dermoid cysts. Also, the most important parameter that affects CA 19-9 elevation in the dermoid cysts, is the tumor size. As the tumor becomes bigger, this relationship becomes more distinct (Tab. 2, Ref. 15).