Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
08:12
Detection of a Circulating MicroRNA Custom Panel in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Published on: March 14, 2019
Colorectal carcinoma with extremely low CA19-9
Yutaka J Kawamura1, Aika Tokumitsu, Junichi Sasaki
1Department of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, 1-847 Amanuma-cho, Omiya-ku, Saitama 330-8503, Japan. kawamura@omiya.jichi.ac.jp
Gastroenterology Research and Practice
|August 27, 2009
Summary
For colorectal cancer patients with extremely low CA19-9 levels, sequential postoperative monitoring of this marker does not help assess surgical curability or detect recurrence.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Gastroenterology
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Colorectal carcinoma is a significant health concern.
- Serum CA19-9 is a commonly used tumor marker.
- Extremely low CA19-9 (ELCA) levels present a unique clinical scenario.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of postoperative sequential serum CA19-9 measurements.
- To determine significance in patients with extremely low baseline CA19-9.
- To assess impact on curability and recurrence detection.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 1096 patients undergoing surgery.
- Preoperative and serial 3-month postoperative CA19-9 measurements for 5 years.
- Defined Extremely Low CA19-9 (ELCA) as < 2 U/mL at diagnosis.
Main Results:
- 9.8% of patients (107/1096) had ELCA.
- In ELCA patients, levels < 2.0 U/mL persisted even with non-curative resection or recurrence.
- No recurrence or non-curative resection was associated with CA19-9 levels > 2.0 U/mL.
Conclusions:
- Postoperative CA19-9 monitoring offers limited value in ELCA colorectal cancer patients.
- It does not reliably assess surgical resection curability.
- It is ineffective for early detection of recurrence in this subgroup.
