The value of CA 19-9 and CA 125 in chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis

Abstract

Tumor markers have been used for detecting and monitoring various malignant diseases. However, false positive results in some benign diseases limit their clinical usefulness. In order to evaluate the rate of false positivity of some tumor markers in chronic liver disease, serum CA 19-9 and CA 125 levels were measured by ELISA in 66 patients with chronic active hepatitis, 79 patients with cirrhosis and 40 normal subjects. The serum CA 19-9 level showed significant elevation in chronic active hepatitis (32%) and cirrhosis (45%) compared to control (p<0.05). Increase in CA 125 concentration was also remarkable in chronic active hepatitis (25%) and especially in cirrhosis (72%) (p<0.09). Conclusion: It is very important to bear in mind the high false positivity rate of CA 19-9 and CA 125 during the clinical interpretation of these markers in patients with chronic liver diseases. [Turk J Cancer 1995;25(3):125-31]