Plasma CA-125 level is related to both sides of the heart: A retrospective analysis

Objective: CA-125 is an old marker, recently shown to be associated with systolic heart failure. We aimed to search for factors influencing its plasma level. Design: 430 patients with one available CA-125 level were investigated retrospectively. 150 patients who had echocardiographic records were enrolled into final analysis. Patients were followed up, hospitalization and mortality were noted. Results: CA-125 levels were negatively correlated with ejection fraction (r=-0.269,p=0.001) and positively correlated with systolic pulmonary artery pressure (r=0.370, p < 0.001). In the whole group, patients with right ventricular dilatation (n=68) had significantly higher CA-125 levels compared to those without right ventricular dilatation (n=82) (125.8 +/- 118.4 U/ml vs. 16.9 +/- 16.5 U/ml, p < 0.001). Presence of depressed ejection fraction (B=1.837, p=0.004), presence of right ventricular dilatation (B=4.294, p=0.002) and presence of pericardial effusion (B=1.913, p=0.018) were independent predictors of high CA-125 levels. After follow up, patients with high CA-125 level encountered more frequent hospitalization and mortality, and atrial fibrillation was more frequent among those with high CA-125. Conclusion: Our data suggests that plasma levels of CA-125 seem to be determined by left ventricular ejection fraction, right ventricular dilatation and presence of pericardial effusion in a group of all comers. It seems prudent to consider these factors before integrating CA-125 into clinical practice. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.