Diagnostic performance of serum CA-125 for overall and complicated acute appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Background This study aimed to analyze the diagnostic performance of serum CA-125 in acute appendicitis (AA). Methods This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023450988). We included prospective or retrospective original clinical studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of serum CA-125 in AA. A search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and OVID. Search terms and keywords were: (appendicitis OR appendectomy) AND (CA-125 OR CA125). Two independent reviewers selected the articles and extracted relevant data. Methodological quality was assessed using the QUADAS2 index. A synthesis of the results, standardization of the metrics, and three random-effect meta-analyses were performed. Results Five studies with data from 533 participants (including 219 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of AA and 107 controls) were included in this review. The random-effect meta-analysis of serum CA-125 (AA vs controls) included 5 articles (125 AA and 70 controls) and resulted in a non-significant mean difference [95% CI] of -6.80 [-20.51,6.92] U/mL (p = 0.33). The meta-analysis by subgroups that included only male patients resulted in a significant mean difference [95% CI] of 3.48 [0.46,6.49] U/mL (p = 0.02) Conclusions Although serum CA-125 does not appear to be a good overall marker for the diagnosis of AA, our subgroup analyses show that this marker could be useful for diagnosing AA in males. It also appears to be a potentially useful tool for discriminating complicated and uncomplicated AA. However, the limited number of included studies precludes drawing generalizable conclusions. Future prospective studies focused on males are required to confirm these findings. Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023450988).