CA125 Levels in BRCA mutation carriers – a retrospective single center cohort study

Abstract

Background: Ovarian cancer screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers utilizes assessment of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and transvaginal ultrasound (TVU), despite low sensitivity and specificity. We evaluated the association between CA125 levels, BRCA1/2 mutation status and menopausal status to provide more information on clinical conditions that may influence CA125 levels. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed repeated measurements of CA125 levels and clinical data of 466 women at high risk for ovarian cancer. CA125 levels were compared between women with and without deleterious mutations in BRCA1/2. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the association between age and CA125 serum level. Differences in CA125 levels were assessed with the Mann–Whitney U test. The effect of BRCA1/2 mutation status and menopausal status on the change in CA125 levels was determined by Two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The CA125 serum levels of premenopausal women (median, 13.8 kU/mL; range, 9.4 – 19.5 kU/mL) were significantly higher than in postmenopausal women (median, 10.4 kU/mL; range, 7.7 – 14.0 kU/mL; p