AN EVALUATIVE STUDY OF THE COMPARISON OF CA-125 AND SERUM TOTAL PROTEIN IN THE PATIENT POSITIVE FOR HCV AND HBsAg: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: CA-125 is an essential part of MUC16, a mucin glycoprotein, which is used as a tumor marker for various diseases like ovarian carcinoma, pancreatic malignancy, etc. Its elevated level can also be seen in patients with liver cirrhosis. Elevated CA-125 levels can be associated with decreased synthesis of serum total protein because of impairment of the liver’s function. Aim: The purpose of the study is to find out the level of CA-125 and correlate it with serum total protein in the patients positive for viral hepatitis C and hepatitis B surface antigen. Method: The study was carried out over a 12-month period at the biochemistry department of HIMS, Dehradun. Patients with complications of liver disease were recruited in this study on the basis of exclusion and inclusion criteria. Serum CA-125, serum total protein, albumin, and globulin were estimated for those patients who had liver problems and were positive for HCV and HBsAg. Result: This research observed the higher value of CA-125 in HBsAg-positive patients than in HCV-positive patients. And CA-125 has a negative correlation with serum total protein. Conclusion: Serum CA-125 estimation in patients who are positive for HCV and HBsAg would be of advantage to the clinicians for assessing the severity of the liver disease.