Radiation Oncology Journal  2016;34(2):156-159

doi:10.3857/roj.2016.01732

Delayed radiation-induced inflammation accompanying a marked carbohydrate antigen 19-9 elevation in a patient with resected pancreatic cancer.

Malcolm D MATTES 1 ; Jon S CARDINAL ; Geraldine M JACOBSON

Affiliations

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Keywords

Pancreatic cancer; Biologic tumor marker; Radiation therapy; Radiation recall reaction; CA 19-9 antigen

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

Although carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 is a useful tumor marker for pancreatic cancer, it can also become elevated from a variety of benign and malignant conditions. Herein we describe an unusual presentation of elevated CA 19-9 in an asymptomatic patient who had previously undergone adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy for resected early stage pancreatic cancer. The rise in CA 19-9 might be due to delayed radiation-induced inflammation related to previous intra-abdominal radiation therapy with or without radiation recall induced by gemcitabine. After treatment with corticosteroids the CA 19-9 level decreased to normal, and the patient has not developed any evidence of recurrent cancer to date.