CA 19-9 and pancreatic cancer: What do the numbers mean?

Hello- I would say this is GOOD news. With the decrease in CA19-9 you can "assume" you are responding to treatment......

I've read so much about the CA19-9 markers and still get confused about it. I heard that it could rise after starting chemo or being off it and then back on it.... Has it gone up more than one time?

We rely on seeing the tumor markers go down to show we are going in the right direction.

Have any of you had your ca19-9 go up after chemo and rad/onc? Hubby's went up after consistently going down. Said it could be shedding cells. Trying to learn more about it... very concerning. Thanks. Believing in healing

White count is still out of range but is trending down. Probably had a viral infection. No risk of sepsis at this point. Thanks for checking.

@lml, Good for you for getting to ER. It was the right thing to do although the head in the sand may have seemed easier. May I ask what you found out from your appointment on Friday?

Thanks for asking. He has been getting chemo every other week for the last 5 months. We will be back at Mayo Clinic at the beginning of March to see how things responded. Hopefully a chemo holiday will be coming soon!

Thanks for asking. Last night I had my first episode with a high fever, post splenectomy in October. I wanted to put my head in the sand but I did make myself do what I was advised to do and went to the ER. And in a far away city where I’m working this week. Source of infection still undetermined; more follow up scheduled back at Mayo Rochester on Friday because the labs are looking odd. The feeling of threat, am I ok or is my cancer back, is never that far away. I wish denial worked but it really doesn’t. I’m back into blood draws, checking labs in the app. Cancer is never really out of mind. And while I write this, I realize I am among the luckiest - caught early, margins clear, etc, but the memory of hearing I had cancer and the fear of dying is still fresh and might not be so different.

@lisarlee, how did the appointment go with the oncologist earlier this month?
@lml, how are you doing?
@colorafo19, having found the small nodules in his lungs, what are the next steps? Will he get additional treatment or watch and wait?

Yes he has had scans that definitely show the tumor is gone. His last PET Scan showed his abdominal area is free of cancer. Unfortunately it has metastasized to his lungs. It was caught early and the nodules are very small.

Ct showed one tumor resolved and my oncologist is calling me stable. Heading to St. Louis Wednesday to see a surgeon. Hoping for good news. Feel pretty good. Still pretty weak, probably from chemo.