RE: CA 19-9 Explained

[Guest guest]

From:

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ca19_9/test.html

CA 19-9 is not

sensitive or specific enough to be considered useful as a tool for cancer

screening. Its main use is as a tumor

marker:

to

help differentiate between cancer of the pancreas and bile ducts and other

non-cancerous conditions, such as pancreatitis;

to

monitor a patient's response to pancreatic cancer treatment; and

to watch for pancreatic cancer

recurrence.

CA

19-9 can only be used as a marker if the cancer is producing elevated amounts

of it; if CA 19-9 is not initially elevated, then it usually cannot be used

later as a marker. CA 19-9 may be ordered along with other

tests, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA),

bilirubin, and/or a liver

panel, when a patient has symptoms that may indicate pancreatic

cancer, including abdominal pain, nausea, weight loss, and jaundice.

If CA 19-9 is initially elevated in

pancreatic cancer, then it may be ordered several times during cancer treatment

to monitor response and, on a regular basis following treatment, to help detect

recurrence. Low

amounts of CA 19-9 can be detected in a certain percentage of healthy people,

and many conditions that affect the liver or pancreas can cause temporary

elevations. Moderate to high levels

are found in pancreatic

cancer, other cancers, and in several other diseases and

conditions. The highest levels of CA 19-9 are seen in

excretory ductal pancreatic cancer -- cancer that is

found in the pancreas tissues that produce food-digesting enzymes and in the

ducts that carry those enzymes into the small intestine. This

tissue is where 95% of pancreatic cancers are found. Serial measurements of CA 19-9 may be

useful during and following treatment because rising or falling levels may give

your doctor important information about whether the treatment is working,

whether all of the cancer was removed successfully during surgery, and whether

the cancer is likely returning.

From: http://cancer.about.com/od/pancreaticcancer/p/CA19tumormarker.htm

CA-19-9 is a tumor marker, or substance produced because

of cancer. The was first developed for colon cancer,

however it has been found to be very sensitive for pancreatic cancer. How is the test used?: CA

19–9 is used to evaluate how a patient is responding to cancer treatment,

or to differentiate between types of cancers, like bile duct cancer and

pancreatic cancer. It can also indicate recurrence of

pancreatic cancer. Can CA 19–9

be used as a screening tool?: Unfortunately, no. By

the time a patient exhibits symptoms to prompt the test, the disease is usually

in an advanced stage. So, it wouldn't be an effective

screening tool. What

do the results of the CA 19–9 test mean?: Anything higher than 37

U/ml is considered abnormal. The higher the number,

the more advanced the disease may be.

What other reasons would cause an elevated CA 19-9?: Conditions such as gallstones, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and cholecystitis

can also causes elevated levels of CA 19-9 in the blood.

HTH

Barb

in Texas