Ca-125, A Biomarker in Acute-Decompensated Heart Failure. Preliminary Study.

Abstract

Background. CA-125 is a tumor antigen expressed on the surface of ovarian cells, used to monitor the treatment of ovarian cancer (normal upper limit is 35U/mL), but it seems also to have a role as biomarker in heart failure (HF).Aim. To determine CA-125 changes in acute-decompensated HF (ADHF) patients.Method. The study group included 110 patients (mean age 72±10 years, 63% men) with ADHF caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy. The subjects were clinically, ecocardiographically and biologically (NT-proBNP, PCR, serum uric acid (sUA), CA-125) evaluated.Results. CA-125 at admission was 53±33 U/mL and decreased at discharge to 34±17 U/mL, without any difference between males and females. The mean level of CA-125 was significantly higher in patients with pleural effusion.There was a significant difference between NT-proBNP at admission in obese versus normoponderal patients, which was maintained at discharge. In the same time, the CA-125 did not show significant differences between obese and normoponderal subjects at admission and discharge. The mean level of CA-125 was significantly higher for subjects with reduced ejection fraction and with elevated left ventricular filling pressures versus subjects with preserved ejection fraction and normal left ventricular filling pressures.The CA-125 correlated with LVEF (R=-0.221, p=0.02), with NT-proBNP (R=0.371, p<0.001), with the inflammation marker - PCR (R=0.284, p=0.003) and oxidative stress marker - sUA (R=0.234, p=0.015).Conclusions. The wide availability of CA-125, its relatively low cost, its correlation with known prognostic markers in HF and the additional information provided make it a valuable biomarker that can be used in monitoring ADHF patients.