title: Serum tumor markers in bile duct cancer--a review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bile duct cancer (BDC) is a disease with a very grave prognosis, often diagnosed too late.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review is to evaluate available literature on tumor markers in serum from patients with BDC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the search words "serum markers", "bile duct cancer", "cholangiocarcinoma", "biomarker" and "tumor marker", a search was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-five studies were included in the review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CA19-9 is by far the most studied and most promising diagnostic and/or prognostic marker in BDC. But also the different mucins are interesting as new markers of BDC in serum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, Danish National Hospital , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grunnet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mau-Sørensen
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D009077:Mucins / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D009077:Mucins
keywords: Bile duct cancer; biomarker; cholangiocarcinoma; diagnosis; prognosis; serum