The diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma is often difficult, making management
approaches problematic. A reliable serum tumor marker for cholangiocarcinoma
would be a useful additional diagnostic test Previous studies
have demonstrated that elevated serum concentrations of CA 19-9, a
tumor-associated antigen, have good sensitivity and specificity for cholangiocarcinoma
in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis. However,
the value of this tumor marker for cholangiocarcinoma unassociated with
primary sclerosing cholangitis is unclear. Thus, the aims of this study
were to determine the usefulness of a serum CA 19-9 determination in
the diagnosis of de novo cholangiocarcinoma.
Methods: We measured serum CA 19-9 concentrations in patients with
cholangiocarcinoma (n=25), nonmalignant liver disease (n=30), and benign
bile duct strictures (n=15), serum CA 19-9 concentrations were
measured by a direct cherniluminometric technology.
Results: The sensitivity of a CA 19-9 value > 100U/ ml in diagnosing
cholangiocarcinoma was 5396. When compared with the nonmalignant liver
disease and the benign bile duct stricture groups, the true negative
rates were 76% and 92%, respectively. Patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma
had significantly greater mean CA 19-9 concentrations compared
to patients with resectable cholangiocarcinoma.
Conclusions: These data suggest that the serum CA 19-9 determination
is a useful addition to the available tests for thehdifferential diagnosis
of cholangiocarcinoma. |
