Pelvic inflammatory disease. Correlation of severity with CA-125 levels.

OBJECTIVE : To determine whether elevated levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) correlate with the severity and clinical outcome of pelvic inflammatory disease. STUDY DESIGN : CA-125 levels were measured prospectively in 36 women with pelvic inflammatory disease using a commercial immunoassay. Initial inclusion criteria were abdominal tenderness, cervical motion tenderness and adnexal tenderness. Patients then were categorized into three groups based on the severity of the illness. Group 1 included patients with (1) temperature ≥38.0 but 30 U/mL, with a range of 48-656. Moreover, the levels were significantly different among the three groups (group 1 vs. 2, P =.002 ; 1 vs. 3, P =.001 ; 2 vs. 3, P =.001), and a correlation between severity of disease and CA-125 levels was found. All patients with a presumed pelvic abscess had CA-125 levels in the range for neoplastic processes. CONCLUSION : Elevated CA-125 levels correlate with the severity of pelvic inflammatory disease and outcome. Pelvic inflammatory disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of elevated CA-125 levels and pelvic masses.