Elevation of a tumor associated antigen CA 19-9 levels in patients with rheumatic diseases.
We investigated the incidence and characteristics of an elevated tumor associated antigen CA 19-9 in patients with rheumatic diseases. Serum concentration of CA 19-9 was increased in 13 of 39 patients (33.3%) with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in 6 of 19 patients (31.6%) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in 3 of 9 patients (33.3%) with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and in 9 of the other 35 patients (25.7%). Malignant neoplasm was not detected in any of the patients with rheumatic diseases. Pretreatment of mouse serum with patients' sera did not reduce the measured CA 19-9 values obtained by the conventional assay. The CA 19-9 antigen found in sera from patients with RA was present in a non-IgG fraction, and had the same molecular weight as that in one patient with pancreatic cancer, as determined by gel filtration. These results demonstrated that serum CA 19-9 levels were increased in some patients with rheumatic diseases.
Shimomura
C
C
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Eguchi
K
K
Kawakami
A
A
Migita
K
K
Nakao
H
H
Otsubo
T
T
Ueki
Y
Y
Tezuka
H
H
Yamashita
S
S
Matsunaga
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000097:blood; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D003095:Collagen Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D007074:Immunoglobulin G