Serum CA19-9 Levels in Pancreatic Cancer

Serum CA19-9 level was detected using Roche chemiluminescence immunoassay kit. Preoperative serum CA19-9 was detected just before the surgery so as to evade the effect of hyperbilirubinemia on CA19-9 level. Postoperative serum CA19-9 level was measured between 1 and 3 months after surgery. Preoperative biliary drainage was conducted on patients with obstructive jaundice using endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Patients with preoperative total bilirubin levels > 34.2 umol/l after biliary drainage were excluded. Both preoperative and postoperative CA19-9 levels were divided as ≤ 37 U/ml vs. > 37 U/ml, ≤ 100 U/ml vs. > 100 U/ml, ≤ 150 U/ml vs. > 150 U/ml, ≤ 200 U/ml vs. > 200 U/ml, ≤ 400 U/ml vs. > 400 U/ml, ≤ 1000 U/ml vs. > 1000 U/ml. These cut-off values were selected in the light of many previous studies and the distribution of CA19-9 levels in our current study [15 (link), 16 (link), 22 (link), 27 (link), 28 (link)].