Investigating the Correlation Between β-hCG and CA125 in Patients with Endometrial Cancer: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis

BackgroundEndometrial cancer (EC) is the predominant gynecologic malignancy in high-income countries and globally ranks as the sixth most common tumor among women, primarily influenced by hormonal factors. Recent studies have indicated a potential involvement of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) in EC tumor formation and metastatic progression, expanding its traditional association beyond pregnancy. Hence, our study aimed to examine the levels of beta-hCG and their correlation with a well-established tumor marker, cancer antigen (CA) 125, in EC patients.MethodsIn this retrospective cross-sectional study, we included EC patients referred to Akbar-Abadi Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from 2011 to 2020, with recorded preoperative serum beta-hCG and CA125 levels. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software.ResultsA total of 93 EC patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 61.93 +/- 11.31 years. The mean levels of beta-hCG and CA125 in EC patients were 2.2 +/- 1.19 mIU/mL and 56.72 +/- 105.97 U/mL, respectively. Among the patients, 26 (27.9%) exhibited CA125 levels >= 35 U/mL, while 25(26.8%) had beta-hCG levels exceeding 2 mIU/mL, with 17.2% surpassing 4 mIU/mL. Although a significant positive correlation was noted between patients' age and serum beta-hCG levels (correlation coefficient = 0.287, p value = 0.005), no significant correlations were observed between serum CA125 and beta-hCG levels or between age and CA125 levels.ConclusionThe lack of a significant association between CA125 and beta-hCG in EC patients suggests that beta-hCG may serve as an independent prognostic marker. Further research is needed to explore its correlations with age, survival rate, tumor grade, and disease stage to better understand its role in disease aggressiveness.