title: Extraordinarily elevated serum levels of CA 19-9 and rapid decrease after successful therapy: a case report and review of literature.
abstract: Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 is most valuable as a serum marker for pancreatic and biliary cancer, but increased concentrations occur in several other gastrointestinal malignancies. A carbohydrate antigen 19-9 value of >1,000 U/ml usually indicates a digestive cancer and has been reported to have a specificity greater than 99% for pancreatic cancer; nevertheless, false-positive results owing to benign diseases such as pancreatitis or liver cirrhosis have been noted. We present a patient with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis with acute cholangitis who had very high serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (9586 IU/ml). The rapid decrease in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 after successful treatment was as interesting as the pretreatment high serum level of carbohydrate antigen 19-9.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Başkent University School of Medicine, Ankara. murat71korkmaz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ünal
authors.forename: Haldun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Selçuk
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D042883:Choledocholithiasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen