By Admin at 16 Dec 2015, 15:23 PM

About 80 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are missing out on an important blood test that could help them make important treatment decisions, according to a study presented at the 2015 Western Surgical Association meeting in Napa, California.

The CA 19-9 tumor marker test measures levels of CA 19-9, which is associated with pancreatic and several other cancers. After analyzing data from 97,000 patients, researchers determined that patients with elevated levels tended to have worse outcomes than others.

However, administering chemotherapy prior to surgery effectively eliminated the elevated tumor marker's negative effect on survival. This is a crucial finding, since the standard of care for pancreatic cancer has long been surgery followed by chemo.

Among patients with elevated CA 19-9, giving chemo first could significantly improve their survival. Senior author Mark Truty, M.D., a gastrointestinal surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, told Medical News Today:

"This is another argument for giving chemotherapy before surgery in all pancreatic cancer patients and ending the old practice of surgery followed by chemo … The study answers an important clinical question and applies to every pancreatic cancer patient being considered for surgery."

Currently, only 19 percent of U.S. pancreatic cancer patients have their CA 19-9 levels checked upon diagnosis. This means a significant number of patients with pancreatic cancer who are candidates for surgery may be undergoing surgery that is less effective than it could be had chemo been administered first.

The researchers concluded that every pancreatic cancer patient should have a CA 19-9 test at diagnosis. The blood test costs only about $170, a small amount compared to the overall cost of treatment. If your levels are elevated, you should be considered for chemotherapy prior to surgery to reduce your related risks.

There will be an estimated 48,960 cases of pancreatic cancer in 2015 along with 40,560 deaths. The best prognosis comes from operable tumors that are contained within the pancreas.

If the cancer is localized to the pancreas, the tumor is 2 centimeters or less and has not spread to the lymph node, surgery may cure the disease, and the 5-year survival rate rises to 18-24 percent (from 7 percent for cases that have spread beyond the pancreas).

It’s possible that receiving the CA 19-9 tumor marker test at diagnosis, and adjusting treatment accordingly, could boost survival rates even more. Dr. Truty continued in Medical News Today:

“ … advances such as the CA 19-9 test and improved chemotherapy, radiation and surgical techniques are improving survival odds for many patients.”

Source
Medical News Today November 4, 2015

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