Evaluation of CA19-9 serum levels for monitoring disease activity during chemotherapy of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Between 1987 and 1990 21 patients with proven adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were treated with chemotherapy in four different phase II studies. For 14 patients, serial measurements of CA19-9 serum levels and clinical evaluations of response by computed tomography scan and/or ultrasound were available. Clinical stable disease and progressive disease were accompanied by stable or exponentially rising serum levels of CA19-9. One patient with clinical partial remission showed a 90% decline of CA19-9. However, a 75% decline of CA19-9 was also observed in a patient with rapidly progressive disease. These data seem to indicate that the CA19-9 serum level may be used as an easy and sensitive tool to evaluate progressive disease during chemotherapy.