Relationship between serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

To explore the relationship between preoperative serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). The clinicopathological data of 128 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were treated in our center between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationships between serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. The cut-off values for serum CA19-9 and CEA levels were 39 U/mL and 4.7 ng/mL, respectively. Among these 128 patients, the mean age was 62 years, and median survival was 12.2 days. The positive rate of CA19-9 and CEA was 78.1% and 37.5%, respectively. Patients with increased CA19-9 or CEA level suffered a poorer prognosis than those with normal CA19-9 or CEA level (CA19-9: P=0.027; CEA: P=0.036). Cox logistic analysis revealed that lymphatic metastasis, CA19-9 >39 U/mL, and CEA >4.7 ng/mL were independent prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Preoperative serum CA19-9 and CEA level are closely related with survival time in PC patients and therefore may be used for evaluating the prognosis for PC.