We compared the preoperative serum tumor marker values and diameters of ovarian tumors between 14 stage Ia ovarian cancer patients with a good prognosis and 14 stage Ic patients with a poor prognosis. The aim was to examine the usability of tumor markers and diameter of ovarian tumors for prognostic diagnosis of clinically advanced phases. In occult neoplastic cells (ONCs), a tumor marker indicative of recurrence and metastasis, the cytokeratin-positive cells in lymph node biopsies, were also compared. In a preoperative comparison of serum tumor markers, CA125 levels in stage Ia and Ic patients were 47.1±15.9 (median, 31.9 U/ml) and 370.6±146.2 U/ml (median, 135.6 U/ml), respectively (p=0.0457), and CA19-9 levels were 25.5±5.5 (median, 20.4 U/ml) and 564.5±192.4 U/ml (median, 248.0 U/ml), respectively (p=0.0131). In a comparison of tumor diameters during surgery, diameters of stage Ia and Ic patients were 117.3±11.4 (median, 100.0 mm) and 182.0±29.2 mm (median, 145.0 mm), respectively (p=0.0457). ONCs were not detected in any stage Ia patients, but detected in 3 (30%) stage Ic patients. In conclusion, clinical progression was evaluated using CA125 and CA19-9 serum markers and tumor diameters in stage Ia and Ic patients, and demonstrated significant differences between stage. ONCs were only detected in the lymph nodes of stage Ic patients.

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