HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bagan, P. Articles by Riquet, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bagan, P. Articles by Riquet, M.

Value of cancer antigen 125 for diagnosis of pleural endometriosis in females with recurrent pneumothorax

¹ Dept of Thoracic Surgery, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Paris V University, Paris, and ² Dept of Thoracic, Vascular Surgery and Urology, Surgery Clinic, Victor Dupouy Hospital, Argenteuil, France.

CORRESPONDENCE: M. Riquet, Service de Chirurgie Thoracique, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 20–40 rue Leblanc, 75908 Paris, France. Fax: 33 156093380. E-mail: marc.riquet{at}hop.egp.ap-hop-paris.fr

Keywords: Cancer antigen 125, catamenial pneumothorax, thoracic endometriosis

Received: June 18, 2006
Accepted August 30, 2007

The thorax is the most frequent extrapelvic location of endometriosis. Thoracic endometriosis is probably responsible for the high rate of recurrent pneumothoraces in females. The goal of the present prospective study was to assess the value of cancer antigen (CA)125 measurement in the detection of endometriosis in order to further enable early and adequate treatment of catamenial pneumothorax.

Between January 2004 and March 2006, 31 females (mean age 32 yrs) underwent pneumothorax surgery. The control group comprised 17 males (mean age 27 yrs), who underwent videothoracoscopic pleural abrasion. Serum CA125 was measured around a menstrual period in females and before surgery in males.

Videothoracoscopically diagnosed endometriosis occurred in 29% of females. The CA125 concentration was significantly higher in females with endometriosis compared to disease-free females (76.1 versus 16 U·mL^–1). The mean value in males was similar to that observed in disease-free females.

The frequency of thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax corresponds to, on average, a third of females presenting with recurrent pneumothorax. Early detection can be achieved with serum cancer antigen 125 measurement and may be helpful in indicating videothoracoscopic surgery.