Combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and serum CA125 to differentiate benign and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors

Abstract

Abstract Objective To investigate the value of the combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and cancer antigen (CA) 125 in differentiating benign and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs). Methods The study was performed in patients with pathology confirmed EOTs between June 2020 and April 2022 who underwent CEUS and serum CA125 measurements. The CEUS qualitative and quantitative features were evaluated. The accuracy of CEUS combined with CA125 for determining malignant and benign EOTs was analyzed. Results A total of 57 patients (mean age, 46.7 ± 14.2 years, 20 malignant EOTs and 37 benign EOTs) were included in the study. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of CEUS for differentiating malignant EOTs from benign EOTs were 80.0%, 86.5%, 76.2% and 88.9%, respectively; those of CA125 were 70.0%, 62.2%, 50.0% and 79.3%, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity of CEUS combined with serum CA125 were 90.0% and 94.6%, which were significantly higher than those of CEUS (χ² = 8.889, 5.185, p = 0.003, 0.023) or serum CA125 alone (χ²=13.531, 4.405, p = 0.000, 0.036). The positive and negative predictive values of CEUS with serum CA125 in differentiating benign and malignant EOTs were also significantly higher than serum CA125 alone (χ²= 7.619, 4.163, p = 0.006, 0.041), but not significantly different (χ²=1.558, 0.725, p = 0.212, 0.394). Conclusion CEUS combined with serum CA125 can significantly improve the differential efficiency of benign and malignant EOTs.