THE FREQUENCY AND CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF CA 19-9 IN THE WORK UP OF OVARIAN MALIGNANCY

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the frequency and clinical usefulness of CA 19-9 in the workup of ovarian malignancy.
Material and Methods: This cross sectional study included 30 patients with histologically confirmed ovarian adenocarcinomas,
was conducted in the departments of medicine, surgery and obstetrics & gynecology of Peshawar Institute of
Medical Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan from January 2016 to October 2017. The patients were initially recruited from and
then followed up in surgical and gynecological OPD. Each patient underwent a measurement of CA 19-9. The frequency
of elevated CA 19-9 was checked and was sub-stratified amongst age group, ethnicity, tumor bulk and smoking status.
Results: Mean age of the participants was 54.30 years ±10.52, mean CA 19-9 was 64.67± 32.65 and the mean tumor
size in cm on CT pelvis was 4.83± 1.76. 36.7% (n=11) had extensive disease with distant metastasis while 50%
(n=15) were either abusing tobacco or were exposed to passive smoking at home. The frequency of elevated CA 19-9
in patients with ovarian malignancy was 73.3% (n=22).
Conclusion: CA 19-9 is elevated in more than two-thirds of the patients with ovarian cancer.