The Role of CA-125 in the Management of Ovarian Cancer

Over more than a decade of clinical use, CA-125 has proven itself to be one of the most useful tumor markers in cancer medicine. The major clinical utility of this serum marker is in following the clinical course of women with known ovarian cancer. Other potential uses of CA-125 include the evaluation of the effectiveness of new antineoplastic agents in this malignancy, and in the modification of treatment strategies in individuals whose CA-125 levels fail to decline at an acceptable rate following the institution of therapy. At the present time, the use of CA-125 as a method to screen for ovarian cancer should be considered investigational.