Clinical Significance of Serum CEA, CA19-9, and CA125 Level Changes in Periampullary Cancer

ABSTRACT

Numerous tumor markers have been investigated and have been in clinical use for the management of cancer patients. Among them, carcimoembryonic antigen(CEA), CA19-9, and CA125 are the most commonly used tumor markers in periampullary cancer. We carried out this study to estimate the usefulness of these three tumor markers in the management of periampullary cancer. The serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, and CA125 were measured in 55 patients between Jan. 1990 and Feb. 1997. We also valuated the changes in the levels of these three tumor markers after surgery. The serum level of CEA was elevated in 30 patients(60%) preoperatively. The serum level of CA19-9 was elevated in 38 patients(83%), and the serum CA125 level was elevated in 13 patients(59%) preoperatively. The CA19-9 levels decreased in 20(95%) of 21 patients who had received a tumor resection, while only one of those patients had an elevated level of serum CA19-9 postoperatively. Similarly, the CEA levels decreased in 23(88%) of 26 patients who had received a tumor resection. The mean level of CA19-9 has higher in advanced stages than in early stages, but this difference was not statistically significant. In conclusion, there was no single reliable tumor marker in periampullary cancer. However, CA19-9 was the most sensitive tumor marker among the three.