Predictive Value of CA-125 for Endometriosis Staging at a Tertiary Hospital in Indonesia

Endometriosis, affecting around 176 million women globally, is typically diagnosed through invasive laparoscopic inspection and histological confirmation. Due to the invasiveness of this method, noninvasive diagnostic alternatives like serum CA-125 assays are gaining interest. This study aims to determine the correlation between the tumor marker CA-125 and the stages of endometriosis, as classified by the revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine (rASRM) score. Data were retrospectively collected from the medical records of 24 reproductive-age women diagnosed with endometriosis at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital in Surakarta City, Indonesia. The dataset included patient age, serum CA-125 levels, rASRM scores, comorbidities, and surgical history. Statistical analysis involved the use of Pearson Chi-Square tests for nominal variables and independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U-tests for scaled variables to evaluate the association between endometriosis stages (grouped into Stage I-II and Stage III-IV) and CA-125 levels (categorized as normal or elevated). A significant correlation was observed between higher stages of endometriosis (stage III-IV) and elevated CA-125 levels (p=0.040). Additionally, normal CA-125 levels were significantly associated with lower stages of endometriosis (stage I-II) (p=0.046). Furthermore, an association was found between type 2 diabetes and elevated CA-125 levels (p=0.037). In conclusion, our study suggests that elevated CA-125 levels correlate with higher stages of endometriosis (stage III-IV) and type 2 diabetes, indicating its potential as a biomarker for endometriosis severity.