IS CA-125 A GOOD SCREENING TEST FOR OVARIAN CANCER?
Cancer cells are different than normal cells, and they produce bio-chemicals that differ from those produced by normal cells. One of these bio-chemicals has been detected in the blood stream of women with ovarian cancer to a much greater degree than in normal women. The blood test to detect this chemical is called CA-125. However, as with ultrasounds, the CA-125 test can indicate cancer in normal women who do not have ovarian cancer. For women who are postmenopausal, ovarian cancer will only be found in about 5% of women with an elevated CA-125 level. The test is even less accurate in women who have not yet reached menopause. Conditions common in young women – endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, pelvic infections, pregnancy, normal menstrual periods – can all make the level of CA-125 go up in the absence of cancer. In addition, the test can be elevated in entirely healthy women of any age for no apparent reason. Therefore, it is not a good idea to perform this test on women in an e
