Fundamental and clinical study on source of CA 125 antigen in cul-de-sac fluid and translation into systemic circulation

CA125 levels in cul-de-sac fluid were measured in patients with endometriosis and patients with myoma uteri in order to investigate the participation of CA125 of endometrial tissue origin in peritoneal fluid levels. The translation of peritoneal fluid CA125 into the systemic circulation was also examined in an experiment on rabbits. 1. The CA125 concentrations in peritoneal fluid in patients with endometriosis and those with myoma uteri were similar. 2. High concentrations of CA125 in peritoneal fluid were also observed in patients who had undergone hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. 3. There is little correlation between the extracted tissue weight and CA125 concentrations in cul-de-sac fluid in patients with adenomyosis. 4. In patients with endometriosis, although CA125 concentrations in peritoneal fluid decreased transiently during conservative hormonal treatment, an increase in CA125 concentrations in peritoneal fluid was observed again after treatment. 5. CA125 concentrations in serum and in peritoneal fluid in ovarian cancer patients with peritonitis carcinomatosa were significantly higher than those without peritonitis carcinomatosa. 6. The experiment on rabbits indicates that the translation rate of CA125 antigen and the degree of chemical peritonitis treated with CH3COOH are in inverse proportion. Consequently, CA125 antigen in peritoneal fluid seems to be derived from others such sources as the peritoneum in addition to endometrial tissues.