Early diagnosis of diseases, including ovarian cancer (OC), accurate staging of the disease, which allows choosing an adequate program of combined treatment, in many respects define the disease prognosis. Concealed course of the disease prioritizes early diagnosis, which is the most urgent problem of medicine.

However, it is even more preferred to identify a prenosological condition of the body, which precedes the disease and the person is still practically (clinically) healthy. The limits of physiological changes in practically healthy individuals are wide enough; they can be divided into physiological norm and prenosological condition. Nominally, prenosological diagnostics means the recognizing conditions that precede the emergence of nosologically identified forms of diseases and thus, its object is neither a sick nor healthy person and a number of intermediate states in the body are on the boundaries of the norm and pathology.

For the purpose of diagnosis and postoperative treatment of ovarian cancer the determination of specific antigen CA-125 in serum is being used. This is a high-molecular glycoprotein that is present in the epithelium of the ovary at norm. Increasing of CA- 125 level is observed in epithelial ovarian carcinoma and to some extent, it correlates with tumor progression. Reducing of the marker concentration indicates a progressive response to a treatment.

The results of CA-125 tumor marker concentration determination in the serum of healthy women and ovarian cancer patients suggest that for physiological norm (age 20–40 years) the concentration of antigen is (26,1 ± 2,2) U/ml. In the second age group (age 41–60 years), which we equated to prenosological condition, the concentration of antigen is (35,2 ± 4,3) U/ml. With the development of ovarian cancer (from I to IV stage) an increase in the concentration of CA-125 was observed. At the first stage of OC development concentration of CA-125 is (146,2 ± 12,1), at the second – (463,6 ± 44,2), at the third – (1303,0 ± 126,5) and at fourth stage – (2865,0 ± 217,4) U/ml.

Elevated level of CA-125 in patients with various tumors of the ovary is observed in 40-95% of cases, depending on the stage of the disease and histological type of the tumor. In benign ovarian tumors increased level of this marker occurs only in 8 % of cases. A significant increase in the concentration of CA-125 in plasma correlates with the tumor diameter. More than 70 % of patients with tumors of 1–2 cm in diameter have a higher level. It is proved that there is a positive correlation between the clinical stage of ovarian cancer and the level of CA-125. An increased glycoprotein level is more frequently observed at III-IV disease stages (> 90 %) than at I-II (only 50 %). Despite the improved methods of diagnostics and treatment of patients with epithelial ovarian malignant tumors, remote results of treatment remain unsatisfactory. On the one hand, it may be due to high aggressiveness of ovarian cancer, and on the other – due to resistance of tumors to anticancer drugs, in connection with which the vast majority of patients experienced tumor progression.

The data we received during glycoprotein CA-125 concentration study in blood serum of healthy women, give a basis to assert that the test determination of this tumor marker is an informative diagnostic indicator of the transition state of the body from physiological norm to prenosological condition, that correlates with women’s age, as well as diagnostic indicator of the ovarian cancer malignancy degree.

Keywords: age, prenosological condition, ovarian cancer, CA-125 antigen blood serum

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