CA19-9 as a predictor of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

✍ Scribed by Nakayama, Takamori; Watanabe, Masahiko; Teramoto, Tatsuo; Kitajima, Masaki

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 72 KB
• Volume: 66
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-4790
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9098(199712)66:4<238::aid-jso3>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

Background and Objectives: CA19-9 is a cancer-associated carbohydrate antigen that plays a role in the process of tumor progression as an adhesion molecule. Methods: We evaluated the prognostic value of CA19-9 tumor expression and CA19-9 preoperative and postoperative serum levels in colorectal cancer patients treated by complete resection. The most powerful discrimination was achieved using the three CA19-9 markers in combination. Results: CA19-9 tumor expression was identified by immunostaining in 71.0% (86/121) of primary carcinomas. Positive CA19-9 serum levels (ജ37 U/ml) were restricted to cases with positive tumor expression, and CA19-9 was detected more frequently in preoperative serum (20.6%, 25/ 121) than in 1-month postoperative serum (6.6%, 8/121). Positive tumor expression, positive preoperative serum level, and positive postoperative serum level were all predictive of increased cancer mortality. Patients with three negative parameters had no recurrences and 97.1% 5-year survival, whereas patients with three positive parameters had 62.5% recurrence and 42.8% 5-year survival. Conclusions: CA19-9 detection in tumor tissue and serum identified patients at high risk of cancer recurrence and death and may be useful in selecting patients for adjuvant therapy.