CA 19-9

and Eva Rudolf-Müller, doctor

Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.

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The tumor marker CA 19-9 (short for carbohydrate antigen 19-9) is a laboratory value that is primarily determined in the assessment of the course of cancer. It is often measured, for example, in pancreatic cancer. Read everything you need to know about CA 19-9, when the doctor determines its value and which diseases can increase this value.

What exactly is CA 19-9?

CA 19-9 (Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9) is a so-called glycoprotein, i.e. a protein to which sugar residues are bound. It is excreted in the bile. This also explains why a biliary block leads to increased CA 19-9 values.

When is the tumor marker CA 19-9 increased?

The CA 19-9 limit is around 37 U / ml (= units per milliliter). However, the limit value can vary with different measurement methods. The limit value is exceeded in the following cancers in particular:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Stomach cancer (gastric cancer)
• Colon cancer
• Rectal cancer
• Liver cell cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
• Bile duct cancer (bile duct carcinoma)

Exceeding the CA 19-9 normal values ​​is not always an indication of cancer. For example, slightly increased values ​​also occur during menstruation and pregnancy. There are also a variety of benign diseases that cause CA 19-9 to rise, for example:

• Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
• Inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis)
• Inflammation of the bile ducts
• Gallstones (cholelithiasis or choledocholithiasis)
• Chronic inflammation of the liver (chronic hepatitis)
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Cystic fibrosis (cystic fibrosis)

How useful is the determination of the tumor marker?

In the case of pancreatic cancer, the tumor marker is very informative: Even with small tumors (<3 cm in diameter), around half of all patients show an increased CA 19-9 value. In the case of larger tumors, it is up to 90 percent of all sufferers.

In the case of cancers of the bile ducts, stomach, colon and rectum, however, the test is not quite as sensitive. Basically, however, as for most tumor markers, the following applies: the CA 19-9 is not suitable as the sole search test for cancer. On the other hand, it makes sense to determine the values ​​in the course of the disease, for example to check the success of a therapy.

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