Patient's question:
I am currently at the endocrinology department of the hospital, accompanying my uncle for a check-up. My uncle is 43 years old now. We are currently having a face-to-face consultation with the doctor. The doctor said that the CA19-9 level is elevated. I was instantly confused and didn't know what it meant. Could you please explain what it means when CA19-9 is elevated?Doctor's answer:
Carbohydrate Antigen 199 (CA199) is one of the tumor markers, primarily used to monitor gastrointestinal tumors. This number generally needs to be more than twice the normal level to have clinical significance. If there is only a mild increase, it is not clinically significant. If the increase is more than twice the normal level and accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or increased bowel movements and blood in the stool, further diagnostic tests such as endoscopy (gastroscopy and colonoscopy) and ultrasound of the liver, gallbladder, and spleen should be conducted.