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CA 19-9 antigen is a high molecular weight glycoprotein found in the epithelium of the digestive system organs: stomach, colon, liver, gallbladder and pancreas, and in the lungs. The concentration of the mentioned antigen increases in neoplastic diseases. CA 19-9 antigen testing is performed from the serum.

CA 19-9 antigen – characteristics

CA 19-9 antigen is a neoplastic marker, the presence of which is most often detected in neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. This antigen is considered to be characteristic of pancreatic cancer, and its increased level also indicates cancer of the colon or gallbladder. CA 19-9 marker is not applicable as an indicator of early disease progression. However, his study allows to monitor the progress of treatment in people with pancreatic cancer, but also allows the detection of local and distant metastases. Note that normally tumor markers are not detected in a healthy human body, however CA 19-9 antigen is produced not only by neoplastic cells, but also: digestive tract and liver in utero, salivary glands, mature cells of the pancreas and bile ducts, and bronchi. The marker may also be present in semen or cervical mucus, therefore its low concentration is detected even in healthy people. Only an increased level of the antigen may suggest the development of the neoplasm.

CA 19-9 antigen – when do we perform?

We test the level of CA 19-9 antigen in the following cases.

1. Suspicion of cancer of the pancreas and bile ducts.

2. Differentiation of neoplastic and non-neoplastic changes in the pancreas showing similar symptoms (inflammation).

3. Evaluation of the effectiveness of oncological treatment of malignant neoplasms of the pancreas, stomach, colon and lungs.

4. Suspicion of other diseases for which CA 19-9 antigen determination is performed, eg mild inflammatory diseases of the liver and bile ducts, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, in benign neoplasms of the ovaries and uterus.

5. Controlling patients with pancreatic cancer after treatment, in order to diagnose distant metastases early.

Do you want to check the health of your pancreas? Do Pancreatic Tests – a blood test package available on Medonet Market. You will define in it, among others amylase, lipase and just CA 19-9.

You can test the CA 19-9 antigen as part of the oncology packages available on Medonet Market, separate for women and men:

  1. Oncology package for men – diagnostic tests,
  2. Neoplastic diseases – risk assessment for women.

CA 19-9 antigen test – performance

  1. Material for testing CA 19-9 antigen: serum.
  2. Preparation for the test: on an empty stomach (at least 8 hours).
  3. The course of the examination: one-time blood sampling from a vein in the arm.
  4. Time of waiting for the result: 1 day.
  5. CA 19-9 antigen standard: less than 37 U / ml.
  6. Notes: Due to the presence of the CA 19-9 antigen in many organs, the specificity of this test is very small; therefore, they are performed as part of the tumor marker panel and other organ-specific tests.

Norms and results of CA 19-9 antigen testing

CA 19-9 antigen is present in healthy humans in low amounts, which usually do not exceed 37 U / ml. Some group of people do not produce the CA 19-9 antigen at all.

  1. The result of 1000 U / ml or several tens of thousands of U / ml – most often means pancreatic cancer, although it may also indicate cancer of the gallbladder, colorectal cancer and other neoplasms.
  2. The level of 100 U / ml (rarely exceeding 500 U / ml) may indicate inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, e.g. hepatitis or pancreatitis.
  3. The diagnostic sensitivity of CA 19-9 for pancreatic tail cancers is around 60%, and for pancreatic head cancers around 80% (i.e. 80 out of 100% of patients are diagnosed with this test).

A significant increase in CA 19-9 antigen can mean:

  1. colon cancer,
  2. pancreatic cancer
  3. gallbladder cancer,
  4. gastrointestinal inflammation,
  5. hepatitis and pancreatitis,
  6. liver cancer
  7. stomach cancer.

It should be remembered that a high concentration of CA 19-9 antigen does not mean that the tumor is 19% present. In order to finally diagnose the patient, a number of additional tests (ultrasound, CT or histopathological examination) should be performed. Increased antigen levels occur when the cancer is already advanced. In addition, not all pancreatic tumors produce CA 9-XNUMX antigen. There are situations where the level of this antigen remains normal despite the cancerous disease.

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