CA 19 test

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hansonp
hansonp Member Posts: 18
in Colorectal Cancer #1
I have another question. I am now able to access Dads test results with his new onc though www.seemychart.com, which is fantastic. I was looking at his tests and saw that they gave him a CA 19 test and the results were elevated. I looked it up and it is mainly used to detect pancreatic cancer. Does this mean that his cancer has spread to his pancreas? The onc hasnt said anything about that. I also read that it could be due to cirhosis too which developed from the chemo or SIRT. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks again for all your support!

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  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #2
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    i think
    I believe, like CEA, it can be used as a marker for colorectal cancer, as well as pancreatic cancer.

    How elevated? Do the test results list the normal reference range? Sometimes things have to be WAY elevated (or depressed) before they are of concern.

    Take a deep breath. Speak to your doctor or another health professional when you can, and (as well all have to do!) assume the best until/unless you hear otherwise.

    Good luck and best wishes
    Tara
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
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    CA 19-9
    This test can also be used to measure colorectal cancer even though it's primarily used for pancreatic cancer.

    After my cancer spread they thought it was in my pancreas and not my liver. I used to get many CA19-9 tests. My numbers were always sky high and off the charts.

    Normal reading is 0-37. Anything over that "could be" indicators but maybe not.

    I've been going 7-years now so if it had been the pancreas I'd be gone by now. When I switched practices I asked for a couple of tests. They are still higher than the range for them, but had gone down from what they used to be.

    My onc does not do them anymore. I've fought it in the lungs over the past couple of years so I feel quite sure I don't have it.

    Like the CEA it is a "marker" and may or may not mean anything. I'd bring up your concern with your onc and see what they have to say about it.

    Doesn't hurt anything to have the test done, the blood is already drawn anyway.


    -Craig
  • hansonp
    hansonp Member Posts: 18
    #4
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    Sundanceh said:

    CA 19-9
    This test can also be used to measure colorectal cancer even though it's primarily used for pancreatic cancer.

    After my cancer spread they thought it was in my pancreas and not my liver. I used to get many CA19-9 tests. My numbers were always sky high and off the charts.

    Normal reading is 0-37. Anything over that "could be" indicators but maybe not.

    I've been going 7-years now so if it had been the pancreas I'd be gone by now. When I switched practices I asked for a couple of tests. They are still higher than the range for them, but had gone down from what they used to be.

    My onc does not do them anymore. I've fought it in the lungs over the past couple of years so I feel quite sure I don't have it.

    Like the CEA it is a "marker" and may or may not mean anything. I'd bring up your concern with your onc and see what they have to say about it.

    Doesn't hurt anything to have the test done, the blood is already drawn anyway.


    -Craig

    Thank you,
    As always everyone is so helpful. His ca19 levels are high, but we know that he has two new mets to the liver after being cancer free for a year. His onc did not put him on any mainatnance meds aftear chemo and SIRT fried the original two mets to the liver. We got rid of her and the new onc was apalled that she didn't put him on anything. He just started erbitux and iri....... Just two treatments so far. I'm hoping the numbers will go down with treatment. I'm going to keep a level head until I HEAR OTHERWISE? You are all wonderful!
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #5
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    hansonp said:

    Thank you,
    As always everyone is so helpful. His ca19 levels are high, but we know that he has two new mets to the liver after being cancer free for a year. His onc did not put him on any mainatnance meds aftear chemo and SIRT fried the original two mets to the liver. We got rid of her and the new onc was apalled that she didn't put him on anything. He just started erbitux and iri....... Just two treatments so far. I'm hoping the numbers will go down with treatment. I'm going to keep a level head until I HEAR OTHERWISE? You are all wonderful!

    There are two schools
    of thought for maintenance chemo in a Stage IV patient. One is that it can act as a preventative, and keep cancer at bay. The other is that you have no idea if it is working or not, and cancer does get used to treatments, so it is better to wait until there are visible tumors where the effects of the therapy can be measured.

    The other issue is quality of life. I fall on the side where, if I am ever NED (No Evidence of Disease) I will forego therapy until my cancer shows itself again. This way, for however long NED lasts, I can have a life free of the immediate side effects of treatment.

    I am saying this, as I am not "appalled" that your first oncologist chose against any maintenance treatments, though I do hope that both she, and your fathers new doctor, discussed all of the available options with him.
  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #6
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    other schools of tx
    other schools of thought:
    In the US system, CA19-9 is discouraged for as a general biomarker for colorectal cancer. In Japan, they use CA19-9 for CRC and have a lot of research to use blood samples more accurately with other normalizing tests for CA19-9 serum diagnoses to better parallel tumor tissues tested for CA19-9, eliminating other causes of CA19-9 elevated blood.

    Japanese work indicates that about 70% of advanced CRC cases involve CA19-9, and its metastatic implications. I've yet to meet a US trained oncologist that is up on the Japanese CA19-9 related papers.

    We track ESR, a cheap inflammation marker, to help somewhat control for possible CA19-9 elevations due to inflammation. CA19-9 appears to be a more sensitive biomarker for diagnostics and treatment for my wife but we still track CEA and MCV, each with their own message.

    CA19-9 in the tumor tissues is an indicator of sialyl Lewis A and VEGF promoted metastasis. Japanese researchers have treated elevated CA19-9 with cimetidine added to 5FU chemotherapy to help stop metastases in stage III and to slow progression in stage IV. We pay $2-3 a month for 1200-1600 mg cimetidine daily, but regular oncologists can't seem to be bothered with it. I've seen a little more response from surgeons interested in oncology.

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