Elevated Serum CA-125 in a Patient with Follicular Lymphoma and a History of Ovarian Cancer

A patient with a previous history of epithelial ovarian cancer presented to her physician with diffuse adenopathy. On subsequent evaluation, she was found to have a follicular lymphoma. Work-up revealed an elevated serum CA-125 antigen level, raising the question of whether the laboratory abnormality represented evidence of recurrence of the original epithelial cancer. The subsequent major decline in this tumor marker following treatment directed to the lymphoma provided strong support for the conclusion that the elevated CA-125 was secondary to this malignant process and not ovarian cancer.