Does serum CA19-9 play a practical role in the management of patients with colorectal cancer?
PURPOSE: CA19-9 is often used in combination with carcinoembryonic antigen to manage patients with colorectal cancer, even though there is insufficient evidence to support this use of CA19-9. Carcinoembryonic antigen, by contrast, has been regarded as a better indicator of poor prognosis and recurrence. The purpose of this study is to clarify whether CA19-9 is, in fact, a useful marker in the management of colorectal cancer patients by comparing it with carcinoembryonic antigen. METHODS: A retrospective investigation was done for a consecutive series of 155 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma who underwent potentially curative surgery between 1995 and 1999. Excluded were patients with postoperative assays performed less than three times for either carcinoembryonic antigen or CA19-9 and those who had developed secondary cancers. Data from 118 patients were analyzed in terms of prediction of prognosis and detection of recurrences. RESULTS: The sensitivities of preoperative CA19-9 and
