CA-125 is marker for: September 2007

Ans. B: Ovarian cancerCA-125 is an antigen present on 80 percent of nonmucinous ovarian carcinomas.It is defined by a monoclonal antibody (0C125) that was generated by immunizing laboratory mice with a cell line established from human ovarian carcinoma.It circulates in the serum of patients with ovarian carcinoma and was therefore investigated for possible use as a marker. CAl25 is often elevated in patients with ovarian cancer, its level following the patient's clinical course.With surgical resection or chemotherapy, the level correlates with patient response. Thus, it is superior to other markers such as CEA.Because of the low prevalence of ovarian cancer, the test is not itself useful in screening.