Objective: In the present study we compared the levels of CA-125, CA 19-9, and CA 15-3 in the peritoneal fluid (PF) of patients with and without endometriosis, then assessed the possibility of a correlation among these tumor markers.
Study design: Our study was a controlled clinical study of patients undergoing laparoscopy for infertility or other benign gynecology conditions. Peritoneal fluid samples were collected from 65 women with endometriosis and 43 women without pelvic disease. Levels of CA-125, CA 19-9 and CA 15-3 in the peritoneal fluid were determined by immunoradiometric assay.
Results: The concentration of CA-125 in PF from patients with endometriosis was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.001); for CA 19-9 and CA 15-3, PF concentrations were not statistically different between these two groups. Women with endometriosis had significantly higher levels of CA-125 in proliferative and secretory phases than the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.002 respectively); furthermore, in patients with endometriosis the CA 19-9 levels were significantly lower in secretory phase than the proliferative (p<0.004). The levels of CA-125 were significantly lower in women with tubal ligation, in comparison with infertility or pelvic pain in the control group (p<0.001). No significant difference was seen in women with infertility or pelvic pain in endometriosis group and the levels of CA-125, CA 19-9, and CA 15-3. We did not find any correlation between the stages of endometriosis and the concentration of CA-125, CA 19-9 and CA 15-3. A significant correlation between the CA 19-9 levels and CA 15-3 in patients with endometriosis was found (r=0.72, p=0.001).
Conclusions: We found high concentrations of CA-125, CA 19-9, and CA 15-3 in the peritoneal fluid of women with and without endometriosis in the Yale series. However, the levels only of CA-125 were higher in women with endometriosis, but without diagnostic value. The role of simultaneously high concentrations of CA 19-9 and CA 15-3 in women with endometriosis needs to be explored further.