Serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant chemotherapy is a useful prognostic factor for complete responders' survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the serum CA-125 level for complete responders after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 123 complete responders after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer FIGO stages III and IV were collected between January 1997 and March 2007. All patients were divided into 3 groups according to the serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of the chemotherapy: group I (< 10 U/ml), group II (10-21 U/ml), and group III (> 21 U/ml). The effect of the serum CA-125 level on survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard analysis.

RESULTS: The median progression-free survival was 26, 14, and 10 months, and the median overall survival was 105, 42, and 37 months in groups I, II, and III, respectively (p < 0.05). The lower serum CA-125 level and optimal debulking surgery were prognostic factors for improving survival (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The serum CA-125 level after 6 cycles of primary adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy may be a good prognostic factor for survival in complete responders after 6 cycles of chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.