Association of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Elevation Among Patients With Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Undergoing Liver...

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 is a tumor marker with high sensitivity and specificity for pancreaticobiliary malignancies. However, an increase in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 has also been reported in non-neoplastic diseases and in some circumstances has been associated with environmental exposures. We evaluated the levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in patients with alcohol-related liver disease and whether these levels differ in patients with recent alcohol use versus remote alcohol use.

We evaluated a cohort of patients with alcohol-related liver disease undergoing liver transplant who presented with levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in the absence of other pancreaticobiliary pathologies known to cause carbohydrate antigen 19-9 elevation.

In our patients with a diagnosis of alcohol-related liver disease, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels were overall elevated beyond the upper limit of the reference range. Furthermore, these levels were significantly higher in patients with recent alcohol use versus remote alcohol use.

This elevation could be a result of biliary ductal epithelial cell inflammation caused by alcohol, subsequently causing increased secretion of carbohy-drate antigen 19-9. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels should be interpreted with caution, and treatment should be individually tailored to address individual patient-specific situations.