Clinical and prognostic value of elevated CA125 levels in patients with coronary heart disease

The aims of this study were to explore the association between serum level of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and coronary heart disease (CHD), and to evaluate its role in the short-term prognosis of CHD patients.

A total of 150 patients were enrolled in the study and divided into an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group (n=40), a stable CHD group (n=64), and a control group (n=46) according to clinical presentation and angiographic results. Fasting blood samples were collected at two time points, on admission and on the fifth day after hospitalization for the measurement of serum CA125 and other biomarkers.

Serum CA125 levels in both CHD subgroups were significantly higher than the control group on admission (p < 0.01 for the ACS group and p < 0.05 for the stable CHD group). The differences remained significant on the fifth day after hospitalization (both p < 0.05), and the CA125 levels in the ACS group were higher than in the stable CHD group on the fifth day (p < 0.05). The CA125 levels were positively correlated with pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD), and negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Compared with the other patients, serum CA125 levels on admission were significantly elevated in the patients who suffered from heart failure events during a 3-month follow-up (p = 0.037). The CA125 level on the fifth day of hospitalization in these patients stayed at a significantly higher level than the other patients (p = 0.002).

The serum CA125 levels were significantly related with cardiac function in CHD patients. Serum CA125 levels that remain elevated after CHD onset could be helpful for predicting the short-term risk of heart failure events in CHD patients.