Ca19-9 blood test

Also, is it worth having it tested again now I’m 7wks post surgery?

Will the level have come down if the cancer has all been removed or is this not indicative?

ibe been given mixed advice - some say it is useful and should be tested and regularly even after treatment. However others have said can give an indication of whether the mass might be cancerous and if so what type of ovarian cancer it might be, however it may not be so useful in follow up when the diagnosis is confirmed.

I’m very confused! Please help and advise 

Dear Glass Not Full

My name is Liz and I’m a Cancer Information Nurse Specialist on the Macmillan Support Line.

Thank you for reaching out for information about CA19-9, as you recover from your surgery for ovarian cancer.

CA19-9 test measures the amount of a protein called CA 19-9 (cancer antigen 19-9) in a sample of your blood. CA 19-9 is a type of tumour marker. Tumour markers are substances made by cancer cells or by normal cells in response to cancer in your body.

Healthy people can have small amounts of CA 19-9 in their blood. High levels of CA 19-9 can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. But high levels can also be a sign of other types of cancer or certain conditions that aren't cancer. For example, gallstones and cirrhosis of the liver can cause high CA 19-9 levels.

Doctors may also request a CA19-9 blood test if you are diagnosed with other cancers such as ovarian, as in your case.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 19-9 are cancer markers that are more likely to suggest the presence of mucinous ovarian cancer than the one used for other forms of ovarian cancer, which is CA125. I would suggest that you discuss your histopathology with your medical team so that you can find out what sort of ovarian cancer you had.  

Tumour markers such as CA19-9 and CA125 are useful as they help to diagnose certain cancers and other conditions, allow monitoring of certain types of cancers, help predict how a cancer might behave over time and alert the medical team if a cancer has returned after treatment.

As Macmillan is not part of the NHS, we don’t have access to your medical notes. For this reason, your treatment team are better placed to answer specific questions about the level of your CA19-9, why it might be elevated and if repeat testing is indicated.

I hope this information has been useful, please contact us whenever we can help.

Take care.  

Liz 

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist  

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. Ref LZD/ JD

Thank you, Liz.

Mine was endometrioid ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Which marker is more accurate for this type, please?

Also, is this a rare type of ovarian cancer? I haven’t found very much info about this specific type online?

I’ve found stuff on carcinoma and/or endometrioid but not endometrioid ovarian adenocarcinoma.

As a general rule, do tumour markers go down and back to normal levels after surgery if it has all been removed? Or are they typically still high if cancer cells are still present?

Thank you.

Hello Glass Not Full,

Thanks for getting back in touch.

My name is Carole and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

I can appreciate you would like to know about the specific type of ovarian cancer you were diagnosed with.

There are many types of ovarian cancer.

It can be divided into 3 main groups: epithelial, germ cell and sex-cord stromal tumours. Epithelial is the most common type (90 per cent), and endometrioid is a sub-type of this 5 per cent).

Although sub-types may behave slightly differently, they are usually treated the same.

I realise that endometrioid ovarian adenocarcinoma is not included in this list.

Pathology reports can be complex, and often include technical information, such as details about specific features of a cancer.

Your hospital team are best placed to explain your results and say what they mean for you. This is because they have access to your medical notes.

We’d recommend that you give them a call.

If you have a specialist nurse (CNS) they may be able to help, or they might be able to arrange for you to speak to one of the healthcare professionals in your multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

They should be able to say how common this type of cancer is. They’ll also be able to give you more information about the different types of tumour marker tests and say when they expect your levels to change.

I hope this is helpful.

Sending best wishes,

Carole

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref/AC