Treated For Ovarian Cancer. Ovary Has Been Removed. What Are The Findings From The Report?

Posted on Fri, 6 Sep 2013

Question: Hi Sir..If a patient was treated for Ovarian Cancer , Ovary removed ..approx 10 years back.. Now Patient age 76 Years.. Regular 6monthly CA125 Reports till Feb 13 showing < 35 range ..Recent Report of Aug showing 61.5 .. What can be the reason and what should be done now..

Answered by Dr. Dipanjan Majumder (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Serial CA-125 monitoring and abdominal CT scan.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for posting your query at XXXXXXX forum
Ovarian cancer can be diagnosed at different stages. Management depends on particular stage. Mainstay of treatment is surgery.
After surgery adjuvant treatment depends on status of completion of surgery and staging of the disease.
Adjuvant treatment is chemotherapy.
On follow up there is debate regarding the exact investigation. Anyway single rise in CA-125 not always signify disease recurrence because there are other causes of CA-125 rise also.

At present an abdominal CT scan is necessary to find any disease recurrence.
Clinical examination to find any lump in abdomen is also necessary.
Serial CA-125 monitoring should be done.

Consult your oncologist for better guidance. I will be available for follow up.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dipanjan Majumder (1 hour later)

Thanks Sir..I will follow for further tests in consultance with doctor.. Just request you to pl let me know the severity of the Observation and feasbility of its treatment by medicines ..Considering the case if disease recurrence is there . Also , can the other medicines which she is taking right now as mentioned by me , be cause for fluctuation of CA125 irrespective of recurrence ?

Answered by Dr. Dipanjan Majumder (21 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
In case of recurrence metastatic work up to do.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
As the treatment has been completed 10 years back and disease did not recur in this period so the treatment response was very good. It is unlikely to have recurrence after so long period.
For your information, if after cisplatin based chemotherapy disease recurs within 1 year then prognosis became unfavorable.
In my opinion you should not be worried about recurrence right now.
Anyway in case of recurrence detailed staging work up will be needed, chest imaging to be done to rule out metastasis.Treatment will depend on staging.
Drugs are unlikely to be responsible for CA-125 fluctuation rather other disease like pelvic inflammatory disease can be a cause.
Follow your oncologists' opinion.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar