CA-125 Significance in Cirrhosis and Correlation with Disease Severity and Portal Hypertension: A Retrospective Study

To evaluate the prevalence and significance of elevated cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) levels in patients with cirrhosis being treated in a tertiary care liver center and its correlation with objective markers of disease severity. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 172 adult patients with cirrhosis (due to any etiology) after obtaining CA-125 serum analysis. Demographics, etiology of cirrhosis, model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, Child's Turcotte-Pugh classification, albumin bilirubin (ALBI) score, degree of ascites, presence of esophageal varices, serum CA-125 level and various other parameters were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Elevated CA-125 levels were noted in 147 patients (85%) of the study population. Higher MELD score was associated with higher CA-125 levels ( = 0.001). Statistically significant correlation was observed between elevated CA-125 levels and degree of ascites ( < 0.001), ALBI score ( < 0.001) and Child's Turcotte-Pugh class ( < 0.001). No correlation was observed with presence or absence of esophageal varices. Near-normal CA-125 levels were noted in patients with cirrhosis but undetectable ascites on ultrasound imaging. No differences were observed in mean values between male and female patients ( = 0.207). Regression analysis confirmed that CA-125 levels had a better correlation with degree of ascites than MELD score or ALBI score. Elevated CA-125 levels were noted in 85% of patients with cirrhosis at our center. Our study establishes that the more advanced the degree of decompensation based on MELD score, Child's Turcotte-Pugh classification and ALBI score, the higher the elevation in CA-125. Absence of ascites was associated with normal CA-125 level, with a direct correlation between high levels and worsening ascites, but there was no statistically significant correlation with esophageal varices, indicating that elevated CA-125 levels could be related to mechanical stretch of the peritoneum rather than portal hypertension itself. Further multi-centered studies are required to confirm and validate these findings.