Longitudinal changes in dialysate CA125 levels in peritoneal dialysis patients

Abstract

Previous studies suggested that cancer antigen 125 levels (dCA125) in peritoneal dialysate could be a marker of mesothelial cell mass in stable peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We evaluated longitudinal changes of dCA125 in a total of 70 PD patients. The duration of observation was 34±15 months. Every 6 months, dCA125 was determined from effluents during a 4-hour dwell using 2.5% glucose dialysates. There was no relationship with the duration of PD and no significant changes in dCA125 over 3 years were found in 21 patients who had just started PD or in 11 patients whose duration of PD was 5 years or longer. A significant decrease in dCA125 was demonstrated after peritonitis episodes in 26 patients (23.2±12.1→9 months later 14.4±8.4U/mL, p<0.05). In 6 patients who developed encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis after discontinuation of PD, dCA125 significantly decreased in the final 2 years of PD (21.7±8.8→9.0±4.6U/mL, p<0.05). These results suggest that dCA125 remains longitudinally stable in PD patients. A decrease in dCA125 was found in some PD patients with peritonitis episodes or development of peritoneal sclerosis. However, interindividual variability exists and it is difficult to find significant changes in dCA125 associated with these clinical outcomes in PD patients.