Relationship between serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

Background: To explore the relationship between preoperative serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: The clinicopathological data of 128 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were treated in our center between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationships between serum CA19-9 and CEA levels and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. The cut-off values for serum CA19-9 and CEA levels were 39 U/mL and 4.7 ng/mL, respectively. Results: Among these 128 patients, the mean age was 62 years, and median survival was 12.2 days. The positive rate of CA19-9 and CEA was 78.1% and 37.5%, respectively. Patients with increased CA19-9 or CEA level suffered a poorer prognosis than those with normal CA19-9 or CEA level (CA19-9: P=0.027; CEA: P=0.036). Cox logistic analysis revealed that lymphatic metastasis, CA19-9 > 39 U/mL, and CEA > 4.7 ng/mL were independent prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Conclusions: Preoperative serum CA19-9 and CEA level are closely related with survival time in PC patients and therefore may be used for evaluating the prognosis for PC.