Serum interleukin-8, CA-125 levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, and combined markers in the diagnosis of endometriosis

Aim: Our aim was to investigate the usefulness of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), either by themselves or as adjuncts to CA-125, in the diagnosis of various stages of endometriosis. Materials and methods: This study was a single-centre, prospective, group-comparative clinical trial. Serum IL-8 and the NLR, either alone or as adjuncts to CA-125, were analysed using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to diagnose endometriosis. Fifty patients with endometriosis and 50 patients with benign ovarian cysts were included in this study. Results: The overall sensitivity and specificity of the combined markers for the detection of endometriosis were 80.0% and 86.0%, respectively, when using a cut-off value of 43.1. The mean NLR, IL-8, and combined marker in patients with minimal to mild endometriosis were significantly higher than in patients without endometriosis, but the mean CA-125 was not. Conclusion: Measurements of NLR and the combined marker may be used as simple and easily obtained diagnostic markers for endometriosis.