Ortiz-González Jorge, Alvarez-Aguila Nora Patricia, Medina-Castro Juan Manuel
Department of Surgical Oncology, National Institute of Cancerology, México DF, México.
Anticancer Res. 2005 Sep-Oct;25(5):3625-7.
The serum level of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) depends on the tumor size and differentiation grade. Jaundice can cause an elevation of serum CA 19-9, although the nature of this interaction is not fully understood.
This was a retrospective study of 26 patients with potentially resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Serum CA 19-9 was correlated with the histological differentiation. CA 19-9 adjusted for serum bilirubin was determined and analyzed.
No correlation between CA 19-9 and histological differentiation was determined (p>0.05). The median adjusted CA 19-9 level was significantly lower (p=0.01) in patients with normal biliary excretion than those with bilirubin levels >2 mg/dL.
These data are consonant with the theory of a dual contribution to the serum CA 19-9 level from biliary obstruction and tumor cell synthesis.
