Sv. Skvortsov et al., USE OF THE CARBOHYDRATE ANTIGEN-CA-19-9, CANCEROUS EMBRYONAL ANTIGEN,ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC-CANCER, VESTNIK ROSSIISKOI AKADEMII MEDITSINSKIKH NAUK, (4), 1993, pp. 47-49
Enzyme immunoassay was used to study blood levels of CA-19-9, cancerou
s embryonal antigen, and alpha-fetoprotein in blood donors (n=33), pat
ients with chronic pancreatitis (n=35), those with pancreatic carcinom
a with metastases (n=28), and without them (n=21). A differential diag
nosis was found to be made between healthy individuals and patients wi
th chronic pancreatitis and those with pancreatic carcinoma via determ
ination of the above tumour markers. The presence of hepatic metastase
s of pancreatic carcinoma may be suspected if the blood levels of the
cancerous embryonal antigen and CA-19-9 are over 15 ng/ml and over 600
U/ml. The level of alpha-fetoprotein was higher only in 14.3 % of pan
creatic carcinoma patients with hepatic metastases. A comprehensive ex
amination of the levels of all three tumor markers allows one to diffe
rentiate pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis and to determin
e whether a patient with pancreatic carcinoma is operable.