1. < Pancreatic Cancer

Is CA 19-9 a lagging indicator? How is it used?

Posted by juneday @juneday, Dec 23, 2024

My husband has had pancreatic cancer for over three years. Every time his Ca 19-9 markers rise, his oncologist says they’re a lagging indicator and not reflective of his current health at the time of the test. Would anyone confirm if this is true? After he had liver oblation surgery a month ago, his markers were tested today and they have tripled. Does this mean the surgery failed?

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scooter369 | @scooter369 | Feb 14 2:44pm
In reply to @happyjack "I had read on this site and my doctors seem to agree that CA19-9 is not..." + (show)
@happyjack

I had read on this site and my doctors seem to agree that CA19-9 is not a test that locks in that you have cancer. There are other things that can cause high numbers like infection. I had low BP 70/40 and fever. CA19-9 was 1303. A scan is what show if for sure you have cancer, or it is something else. In my case the CT scan show an inflamed and infected ascending large colon. After IV antibiotics and other treatments I could remember, and my BP was back up in normal range. I had sepsis and blood culture showed infection. Weeks post hospital stay for this my CA 19-9 was back down to 55. To me this indicates that even extremely high CA 19-9 numbers can be caused something other than cancer. Best wishes to all.

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Happyjack thanks for the additional context on the marker results. Bottom line is a high number is bad but just an indicator that something is wrong and needs attention. God bless you and God speed on your recovery! 🙏🏼💜🌈

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jwg19822005 | @jwg19822005 | Feb 14 7:21pm
In reply to @scooter369 "The recurrence was in the mesentery exactly where the head of my pancreas used to be..." + (show)
@scooter369

The recurrence was in the mesentery exactly where the head of my pancreas used to be before the Whipple surgery.

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I am glad to see it looks like you’re doing well on treatment - best wishes to you going through this again!

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1 reply
scooter369 | @scooter369 | Feb 15 7:54am
In reply to @jwg19822005 "I am glad to see it looks like you’re doing well on treatment - best wishes..." + (show)
@jwg19822005

I am glad to see it looks like you’re doing well on treatment - best wishes to you going through this again!

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Thank you, and God bless you 🙏🏼 the main side effect. I’m dealing with his chronic diarrhea. I’m getting lots of advice and prescriptions from doctors, but nothing seems to help. Any insights would be appreciated.

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1 reply
jwg19822005 | @jwg19822005 | Feb 21 10:37am
In reply to @scooter369 "Thank you, and God bless you 🙏🏼 the main side effect. I’m dealing with his chronic..." + (show)
@scooter369

Thank you, and God bless you 🙏🏼 the main side effect. I’m dealing with his chronic diarrhea. I’m getting lots of advice and prescriptions from doctors, but nothing seems to help. Any insights would be appreciated.

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I am so sorry to hear you’re dealing with chronic diarrhea. That can be so disruptive. Do they give you atropine with your chemo premeds? That can help with diarrhea prevention. It sounds like you’ve tried a number of things. I know the irinotecan part of FOLFIRINOX can cause diarrhea - not sure if that’s the chemo you’re on. My mom has more frequent bowel movements but has not had diarrhea at this point. Praying this eases up for you.

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scooter369 | @scooter369 | Feb 22 1:08pm

I don’t think I’m receiving atropine. I will ask about it. Although the diarrhea started before my current chemo, I am not on FOLFIRINOX. I did have it six years ago when I had my Whipple procedure. This one seems much lighter combination of two chemo medicines. God bless you.🙏🏼💜🌈

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vector | @vector | Feb 22 6:23pm
In reply to @marciak9 "Thank you for the hot dog warning. I’ve been hearing a few warnings lately so have..." + (show)
@marciak9

Thank you for the hot dog warning. I’ve been hearing a few warnings lately so have chosen to stay away. It’s sad because they had been a staple in my life since childhood!

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One need only visit a hotdog factory to make a firm decision regarding consuming same.

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