Sharp increase in CA19-9

The CA19-9 marker tests can be wrong but your wife's markers were low during chemo, and went up after chemo stopped; you rightly noticed. If there is nothing else that could have caused the markers to rise eg an illness or infection with fever, go get it checked properly with a scan. My husband had surgery in Dec 2023 and it was Stg 2b. Surgeon was optimistic he got it all out. A year later my husband is still on Gem-Abraxane because oncologist says with pancreatic cancer, the cancer cells can be floating around somewhere in the body and the Gem-Abraxane can hopefully control it. So go get an oncologist to check it and to order a scan. It could be nothing but getting it checked means you know for sure.

Thank you, Joie. Scan was already ordered for February, but now the oncologist may move it up. Not much of January left. We just got the CA 19-9 result yesterday on the portal and the oncologist is out today. She said she would call when she got the result. So, we expect to hear on Monday. Your input is comforting, yet vigilance acknowledged.

Disclaimer: I have zero medical training, but...

I agree, this jump in CA19-9 should be investigated and backed up with scans ASAP and more frequent re-testing of CA19-9. It also sounds like the perfect justification to start Signatera testing if they saved enough tissue from the Whipple to do it. Signatera may help detect microscopic disease the scans can't pick up yet.

Vector - are you being treated at a pancreatic center of excellence? If so, great!

If not, please get to one as soon as possible.

Of course, reading one's post is not important. Just pick the name in the heading and turn it into an advertisement. Commercialism preying on the hurting. Plenty of those in LA right now, preying on all those who lost their homes. Maybe you should go join them.

Markymarkfl, thanks, I'll look into it.

I like Wahlberg's movies, too!

Markymarkfl, Signatera's website does not list pancreatic cancer on its testing list.

@vector ,

I don't see pancreatic cancer listed on the patient choice page, but Natera is still publishing papers related to it:
https://www.natera.com/resource-library/signatera/early-relapse-detection-and-monitoring-disease-status-in-patients-with-early-stage-pancreatic-adenocarcinoma-using-circulating-tumor-dna/
and
https://www.natera.com/company/news/nature-medicine-publishes-two-studies-highlighting-signateras-clinical-utility-in-patients-with-gastrointestinal-malignancies/
which includes the text:
"The test is available for clinical and research use and is covered by Medicare for patients with colorectal cancer, breast cancer (stage IIb and higher) and muscle invasive bladder cancer, as well as for immunotherapy monitoring of any solid tumor."

^Solid tumor^ being the keyword for pancreatic cancer.

I'm aware of two major pancreas CoE hospitals that regularly use the test for pancreatic cancer.

Markymarkfl,

Thank you for the links. My wife had her Whipple surgery and PAC at a COE. Her surgeon is world renowned. Her oncologist is equally expert. We are now working with her regular oncologist, who works closely and serves on the tumor board with the COE oncologist.

Wife's oncologist scheduler called today scheduling a CT immediately, with a followup appointment with the oncologist. I will send a message through the portal to the oncologist about Signatera testing.

Thanks again for all your help.