Ovarian cancer and tumor markers: sialic acid, galactosyltransferase and CA-125.

In an effort to correlate the serum values of potential markers, including CA-125, galactosyltransferase, and total sialic acid, with residual tumor mass after initial surgery, 43 patients with FIGO stage IIb and c, III and IV ovarian cancer were studied. The sensitivity of galactosyltransferase and sialic acid levels was sufficient to correlate their serum values with the corresponding residual tumor mass. Furthermore, 28 patients were histopathologically evaluated for their response to chemotherapy.