Significance of Serial Determination of Tumor Marker with Reference to the Differential Diagnosis between Pancreatic Cancer and Tumor Forming Pancreatitis

Yoshito Yamashita, Young-Suk Chung, Hideaki Yokomatsu, Bunzo Nakata, Tetsuzi Sawada, Yasuyuki Kondoh, Koji Kim, Michio Sowa

First Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School

The differential diagnosis between pancreatic cancer and tumor-forming pancreatitis (TFP) by various graphic examinations is difficult. We determined the significance of tumor markers with reference to the differential diagnosis between these two diseases. The subjects were 82 patients with pancreatic cancer and 46 patients with chronic pancreatitis (including 19 with TFP). Positive ratios in patients with pancreatic cancer were SPan-l antigen, 93%, CA19-9, 85.4%, CEA, 63.8% and DU-PAN-2,63.0%. On the other hand, false positive ratios in patients with chronic pancreatitis were CA19-9, 42.9%, SPan-1 antigen, 28.0%, CEA, 20.0% and DU-PAN-2, 11.1% and those in patients with TFP were CA19-9, 50.0%, SPan-1 antigen, 36.8%, CEA, 25.0% and DU-PAN-2, 20.0%. The diagnostic accuracy of differential diagnosis between pancreatic cancer and TFP was SPan-1 antigen, 86.7%, CA19-9, 78.1%, DU-PAN-2, 66.7% and CEA, 66.7%. Serial determination of serum levels of SPan-1 antigen, CA19-9 and CEA showed an increase in patients with pancreatic cancer but not in those with TFP. The results show that serum SPan-1 antigen, CA19-9 and CEA determination seems to be able to discriminate between pancreatic cancer and TFP.

Key words
tumor marker, tumor-forming pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer

Reprint requests
Yoshito Yamashita First Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School
1-Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545 JAPAN

Accepted
January 8, 1992

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