Objective

Unlike cervical squamous cell carcinoma, there are no consensus criteria for serum tumor markers in cervical adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to identify the prognostic value of preoperative carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) levels in cervical adenocarcinoma patients with adverse pathologic features.

Methods

A total of 105 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiation therapy were included. Locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Results

Using a cutoff value of 50 U/mL, 83 and 22 patients had low-and high-CA125, respectively. Patients with high-CA125 had a larger tumor size, more frequent parametrial extension, and more frequent lymph node metastasis than those with low-CA125. During a median follow-up of 59.3 (interquartile range, 32.7–97.8) months, patients with high-CA125 showed inferior 5-year LRFS, DMFS, and OS rates compared to those with low-CA125 (38.5% vs. 70.0%; 37.0% vs. 69.4%; 43.6% vs. 78.1%, respectively, all p< 0.05). In multivariable analysis, the high-CA125 remained significant prognostic factor for LRFS, DMFS, and OS (all p< 0.05). Furthermore, 12 patients with high-CA125 at recurrence exhibited lower 5-year OS rates than 21 patients with low-CA125 at recurrence (0.0% vs. 51.3%, p= 0.003).

Conclusion

In this retrospective analysis, the serum CA125 level at diagnosis and recurrence was related to the extent of disease and prognosis of cervical adenocarcinoma with adverse pathologic features. A CA125 level of≥ 50 U/mL may be a prognostic surrogate marker for cervical adenocarcinoma in patients with the presence of adverse factors.