Abstract
Two cases of miliary tuberculosis and elevated levels of cancer antigen 125 Ovarian carcinoma is one of the most dangerous malignancies in women. The serum level of cancer antigen (CA) 125, as a tumour marker, is useful in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. CA 125 serum level is also elevated in ascites (1), ovarian tube abscess (2,3), biliary duct cancer and periampullary tumours (4), cholangitis (5), cancer of pancreas (6) and cervical adenocarcinoma (7). Additionally, sometimes the serum level of CA 125 increases spontaneously during the menstrual cycle (8,9). In bone marrow transplantation, this marker is a sensitive index in the diagnosis of veno‐occlusive disease (10). We describe an elevated serum level of CA 125 in two cases of tuberculosis (TB): one with cryptogenic miliary TB, and the other with miliary TB and meningitis.
Highlights
Ovarian carcinoma is one of the most dangerous malignancies in women
Tumour markers for carcinoembryonic antigen, cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 and CA 19-9 were normal, but the CA 125 serum level was more than 130 U/mL
Bone marrow biopsy revealed a granulomatous inflammation with caseification necrosis, compatible with TB
Summary
Ovarian carcinoma is one of the most dangerous malignancies in women. The serum level of cancer antigen (CA) 125, as a tumour marker, is useful in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The first patient was an 80-year-old woman originally from a city in northeast Iran, but residing in Tehran. She presented with weight loss (10 kg within a five-month period), weakness, fatigue and alteration in bowel habits. Complete blood count biochemistry and thyroid function was normal. All C3, C4 and CH50 tests were normal, as were rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibodies.
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