Urgent question about CA19-9 levels...?!


Question: Urgent question about CA19-9 levels...?
My wife, whom I am EXTREMELY fond of, came back from her last physical with CA19-9 levels of 42 u/l. Last year they were at 22u/l. Since the cut off for normal is at 37u/l, she was asked to come in for an MRI. We hear the results tomorrow.

About 8 years ago a benign tumor was found in her pancreas, and it was successfully removed.

I realize I have about 12 hours to find out, but I've also been freaking out the entire week and have not been able to get much sleep. If possible could anyone PLEASE shed some light on this? Does it sound like malignant cancer?

Additiional details: Every year the doctors find something wrong with her (unrelated to this) and every year a detailed examination always prooves her to be healthy, with no real problems. She also drinks alot of tea, which I hear can offset CA19-9 levels. I also am scared out of my mind for her... alot more than she is. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Answers:

There is never anything urgent about a slight elevation of CA 19-9 level except the understandable amount of anxiety that an elevation MIGHT mean a recurrence of a pancreatic carcinoma in a person who has shown the CA 19-9 to be a good marker for his or her malignancy. When there has never been a diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma - just a benign tumor 8 years ago - a finding of a barely elevated CA 19-9 should be much less anxiety provoking. These test are not perfect. There are many other causes for slight elevations like this. I'm sure you have searched the literature. http://www.fdi.com/us_home/patients/panc…
If you ran the same blood sample through eight times, you would get eight different values for the CA19-9 within the range that your wife's level is elevated - 5 u/l.
The CA19-9 you have here means very little by itself.
Suggest you relax for the 12 hours until you have the results of the MRI.

MD hematologist and medical oncologist - cancer and leukemia specialist physician for 20 years



No one can shed light on this.
You don’t even say why the doctor would run this test. It isn’t a diagnostic test and the results would not warrant an MRI and you don’t say what she had an MRI of.

I am a cancer registrar.




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