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What is the CA 125 study? How should the results be interpreted? What is the indication for the CA 125 test? Can the test diagnose cancer? The question is answered by the drug. Katarzyna Darecka.
What might an elevated CA 125 result mean?
Hello. My name is Agnieszka, I come from Warsaw, I’m 45 years old. In the last year, I have reevaluated my life a bit and therefore began to research myself. Everything would be ok, if not for the fact that w study CA 125 the result turned out to be slightly elevated. When I found out about it, I almost froze in fear. After all, it could mean I have cancer. From the moment I get the results, I try to find out as much as possible about it, but I don’t want to get paranoid because I’m not a doctor. Please help.
Czy elevated CA 125 test result is it really a harbinger of cancer? Could a high CA 125 simply suggest that there has been some change in the body? After all, I’m not 20 anymore. In a research norm CA 125 was a little more than 65 U / ml. I do not know what to think about it. I have talked to various friends who are interested in medicine, and opinions vary. Some say it’s ok, while others suggest it might be something dangerous. For many years I didn’t really care about my health.
I still smoke cigarettes (about 1 packet for 2 days). I am waiting impatiently for your reply and tips on what to do next. Regards Agnieszka.
Your doctor will advise you on what your CA 125 result may mean
CA-125 is not a prophylactic examination and should not be tested in asymptomatic patients. The indications for the CA-125 test are:
- Monitoring the treatment of ovarian and fallopian cancer, endometrial cancer – the doctor may order this test to check whether the anti-cancer treatment is working
- As a screening for breast cancer, but only in people at high risk of family history of ovarian cancer or after showing the presence of mutations in the BRCA1 and 2 genes, also in combination with frequent vaginal ultrasound. It is up to the treating physician to decide whether to perform such screening.
- Monitoring the patient’s condition after the completion of anti-cancer therapy in order to detect possible tumor recurrence as soon as possible.
The doctor may also order CA-125 if he suspects ovarian cancer, but he also performs other tests at the same time, such as ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and transvaginal cavity, HE4 examination, computed tomography.
Self-test CA-125 is not recommended due to the low specificity of this marker, it is a glycoprotein, present in a large amount in serous neoplasms * of the ovary, but also in the epithelium of the reproductive system, gastrointestinal tract, peritoneum, pleura and pericardium of healthy women . Therefore, many other conditions, including physiological conditions such as menstruation, or pathological but non-neoplastic conditions such as uterine fibroids, endomnetriosis, liver disease, pelvic inflammation, pregnancy may induce elevation of this marker.
For the above-mentioned reasons, this marker should not be routinely tested, and its elevated levels, often slightly, can cause more anxiety and uncertainty than necessary. Currently, what you should focus on is quitting smoking, smoking is a risk factor for many diseases, not only lung cancer, but also other diseases, such as cancer of the bladder or ovarian cancer. In addition, it increases the risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases, and after stopping smoking, the risk is reduced dramatically within the first month.
– Lek. Katarzyna Darecka
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