[Analysis of the levels of CA125, CEA and CA19-9 in the cervical mucus samples obtained at various phases of the menstrual cycle and with inflammatory diseases of the uterine cervix].

Recently, normal cervical glandular cells have been reported to synthesize and secrete CA125 as a common constituent of normal cervical mucus. However, the levels of CA125 in the cervical mucus samples during the menstrual cycle and with cervical inflammatory diseases have not been determined. Therefore, we measured CA125 in cervical mucus samples in various phases of the menstrual cycle and in patients with cervical polyp or vaginitis. In addition to CA125, CEA and CA19-9 were also examined in the same samples. CA125 levels in the mucus samples of women (45 cases) without any gynecologic disorders (control) were 102,200 +/- 8,600 (M +/- S.E.) U/ml. Significantly higher levels were noted in the samples obtained in the follicular phase than in the luteal phase. CA125 levels in the mucus with atrophic vaginitis (12 cases) were significantly lower than those of controls. CEA and CA19-9 levels in the control samples were 3,400 +/- 550 ng/ml and 3,470 +/- 500 U/ml, respectively, and both of these showed no significant difference between the follicular and luteal phases. However, both CEA and CA19-9 levels in the cervical mucus with cervical polyps (15 cases) or vaginitis were much higher than in the controls. Accordingly, the present study revealed that CA125 in the cervical mucus fluctuates during the menstrual cycle, probably under the influence of ovarian sex steroids. In addition, CEA and CA19-9 in the cervical mucus samples obtained from women without any gynecologic disorders showed low levels, but those with inflammatory diseases were high, and this suggested that inflammatory diseases in the cervix and/or vagina may affect the constituent of the tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens in the cervical mucus.