Glycoantigen 19-9 generally refers to CA19-9, which belongs to a tumor marker with high sensitivity to pancreatic cancer.
Usually the normal value of CA19-9 is less than 37.00 U/mL, while mild elevation of CA19-9 can also be seen in gastrointestinal inflammation, while markedly elevated may be digestive tract tumors, and CA242 for the digestive system is a more sensitive tumor marker.
CA19-9 is a mucin-type glycan tumor marker, which can be expressed in various tumor tissues, normal pancreas and gastrointestinal mucosa.
Because pancreatic cancer can cause mechanical obstruction of pancreatic ducts, loss of polarity of pancreatic cells and early invasion of blood vessels, CA19-9 is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer, while its expression is lower in benign diseases or normal population.
Research has confirmed that CA19-9 is a sensitive indicator for detecting pancreatic cancer, but it is also elevated to different degrees in many digestive tract tumors, such as gallbladder cancer, gastric cancer, intestinal cancer, and so on, so it is known as gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen.
Meanwhile, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, lymphoma, esophageal cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, biliary tract cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer can also be elevated by CA19-9.
If it is a low-level, transient increase, it can also be seen in inflammatory or other diseases or physiologic states such as cholelithiasis, cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, autoimmune diseases, pregnancy, and so on.
If CA19-9 is elevated, further examination is recommended to clarify the cause. It is recommended to go to a regular hospital for comprehensive assessment of the condition and follow the doctor’s instructions for treatment to avoid delaying the condition.