Metastatic prostate cancer with elevated serum levels of CEA and CA19-9

Abstract

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is well known as a specific tumor marker for prostate cancer, but carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)- and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9)-elevating adenocarcinomas originating in the prostate gland are rare. We report a case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland with a high serum level of CEA and CA19-9 in a 78-year-old man in whom prostate cancer (T3N1M1) had been diagnosed 2 years ago and who was treated with androgen deprivation therapy. He visited the emergency department because of a loss of appetite and abdominal pain. The serum CEA and CA19-9 levels were increased to 218.9ng/mL (normal, <5ng/mL) and 212ng/mL (normal, <27ng/mL), respectively. The serum PSA level was slightly elevated (4.41ng/mL). Computed tomography demonstrated multiple liver metastases, para-aortic lymph node enlargement, and lung metastases. A liver biopsy was performed and the specimen showed high-grade adenocarcinoma with focal positive staining for PSA. Despite chemotherapy with docetaxel, the patient died 3 months after treatment. Based on this case and a review of the literature, an aggressive variant of prostatic carcinoma with a high serum level of CEA and CA19-9 and a low PSA level was shown to progress rapidly with a poor prognosis.