Benign conditions associated with raised serum CA-125 concentration

A retrospective audit carried out in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, covering a period of 42 months, showed 19 benign conditions, that gave rise to elevated serum CA-125 concentrations. These included six patients with non-malignant gynaecological disease, six patients with abdominal disorders, and seven patients with lung disease. These observations confirm that false-positive elevations can occur and that care must be taken before attributing an elevated serum CA-125 as an indicator of ovarian malignancy.