JOURNAL ARTICLE
META-ANALYSIS
REVIEW
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Diagnostic accuracy of cancer antigen 125 for endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The development of a non-invasive and accurate diagnostic biomarker for endometriosis is urgently needed.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serum cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) for endometriosis.

SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science from inception to January 2016.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Diagnostic accuracy studies of serum CA 125 (index test) for histologically confirmed endometriosis (reference standard) were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently selected trials, extracted study characteristics and data. Methodological quality was assessed using Quality Assessment of Comparative Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) checklist.

MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-two studies (16 cohort, six case-control), 3626 participants, were identified. Bivariate hierarchical models were used to pool accuracy data of 14 studies (2920 participants) using CA 125 ≥ 30 units/ml. Pooled specificity was 93% (95% CI 89-95%) and sensitivity 52% (95% CI 38-66%). CA 125 was significantly more sensitive for the diagnosis of moderate or severe endometriosis compared with minimal disease (63%, 95% CI 47-77% versus 24%, 95%CI 19-32%, P-value = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: CA 125 performs well as a rule-in test facilitating expedited diagnosis and ensuring investigation and treatment can be confidently tailored for the management of endometriosis. Unfortunately, a negative test, CA 125 < 30 units/ml, is unable to rule out endometriosis.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Blood test CA 125: a rule-in test for the diagnosis of women presenting with symptoms of endometriosis.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app