[Primary research on saliva and serum CA125 assays for detecting malignant ovarian tumors]

Saliva and serum CA125 levels were assayed in specimens obtained from 55 normal healthy women, 92 patients with benign pelvic masses and 41 patients with malignant pelvic tumors. A saliva CA125 value greater than 3,000 kU/ml and serum CA125 value greater than 65 kU/ml were defined as positive. Only one saliva assay was positive in 55 normal women. The sensitivity of saliva and serum CA125 assays in 16 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer was 81% and 94% respectively. A linear correlation was observed between serum and saliva CA125 levels in 32 patients with malignant ovarian cancer. The false positive rate of saliva and serum CA125 assays in patients with endometriomas and pelvic tuberculosis was 13.6%, 10% and 72.7%, 80% respectively. Therefore, the saliva CA125 assay had better diagnostic value than the serum CA125 assay. In addition, collection of saliva is simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive and could be obtained repeatedly. For these reasons, assays of saliva CA125 levels may provide a new way of screening for malignant ovarian tumors.