HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

While Undergoing Treatment For Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma What Could Spike CA Levels Suddenly?

Hi, My name is DHIRAJ SHETTY.I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of pancreas in july 2013.Since then I have undergone 9 sessions of chemotherapy.First 3 being gemcite + cisplatin Second set of 3 chemos being gemcite + oxyplatin + xeloda And the last 3 chemos of folferinox. I have handled my chemos very well. And over the period got my ct scans and blood tests done regularly. The tumor has remain stable through out and has not spread at all. But surprisingly my CA19.9 reports have suddenly shot up in the last reports. I feel confused, as the tumor has not spread but the CA19.9 levels are significantly elevated. Kindly advise and please let me know if it can be a case of NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOR (NET)
Tue, 27 Jan 2015
Report Abuse
Oncologist, Surgical,  's  Response
CA 19-9 levels are increased in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and not NETs. They may be elevated in a number of other conditions such as jaundice. But you dont have jaundice and the picture that you have mentioned, it definitely goes in favour of the cancer coming back. Sometimes, a small recurrence is not visible on a CT scan. Also, CT scan only scans a certain area of the body like the abdomen, while the disease can recur anywhere. It will be worthwhile to do a PET scan as that will show any small area of tumor recurrence anywhere in the whole body
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Recent questions on Neuroendocrine tumor


Loading Online Doctors....
While Undergoing Treatment For Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma What Could Spike CA Levels Suddenly?

CA 19-9 levels are increased in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and not NETs. They may be elevated in a number of other conditions such as jaundice. But you dont have jaundice and the picture that you have mentioned, it definitely goes in favour of the cancer coming back. Sometimes, a small recurrence is not visible on a CT scan. Also, CT scan only scans a certain area of the body like the abdomen, while the disease can recur anywhere. It will be worthwhile to do a PET scan as that will show any small area of tumor recurrence anywhere in the whole body