Sinha SR, Prakash P, Singh RK, Sinha DK. Assessment of tumor markers CA 19-9, CEA, CA 125, and CA 242 for the early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of gallbladder cancer. World J Gastrointest Surg 2022; 14(11): 1272-1284 [PMID: 36504513 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v14.i11.1272]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dinesh Kumar Sinha, MD, Additional Professor, Radiation Oncology, State Cancer Institute, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sheikhpura, IGIMS, Patna 800014, Bihar, India. drdineshkumarsinha@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Observational Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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World J Gastrointest Surg. Nov 27, 2022; 14(11): 1272-1284 Published online Nov 27, 2022. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v14.i11.1272
Table 1 Demographic characteristics
Parameters
GBC, n = 80
Benign GB disease, n = 120
Total, n = 200
P value
Age, yr (n = 200)
57.0 (50.2-66.5)
47.0 (34.0-56.0)
52.0 (41.0-60.0)
< 0.001
Sex (n = 200), n (%)
0.951
Men
27 (33.8)
41 (34.2)
68 (34.0)
Women
53 (66.3)
79 (65.8)
132 (66.0)
BMI in kg/m2, (mean)
27.06 ± 4.46
26.50 ± 5.6
26.8 ± 4.98
0.229
Hemoglobin in g/dL
11.8 (10.8-12.6)
11.6 (10.2-12.8)
11.75 (10.6-12.70)
0.523
TLC in cells/μL
8075.0 (6759.0-9801.0)
7830.0 (6705.0-8800.0)
7846.0 (6745.0-9440.0)
0.094
Lymphocytes in cells/μL
27.4 (21.2-31.0)
26.9 (22.0-31.0)
27.0 (22.0-31.0)
0.421
Monocytes in cells/mm3
5.7 (3.4-7.9)
6.0 (4.0-7.0)
6.0 (4.0-7.30)
0.604
Neutrophils in cells/mm3
63.1 (58.2-69.6)
63.0 (59.0-67.0)
63.0 (58.92-67.77)
0.816
Eosinophils, %
3.0 (1.2-4.0)
3.5 (2.0-4.4)
3.0 (2.0-4.10)
0.023
Basophils in cells/μL
0.5 (0.3-1.0)
0.4 (0.1-1.0)
0.50 (0.20-1.0)
0.351
Bilirubin in mg/dL
Total
0.9 (0.6-1.2)
0.8 (0.6-1.1)
0.87 (0.64-1.12)
0.251
Direct
0.3 (0.2-0.5)
0.3 (0.2-0.5)
0.30 (0.20-0.52)
0.621
Indirect
0.6 (0.4-0.7)
0.4 (0.3-0.6)
0.50 (0.36-0.65)
0.015
ALP in IU/L
119.5 (80.5-163.2)
109.0 (76.2-136.2)
111.0 (78.0-146.50)
0.019
SGOT in U/L
34.0 (27.2-43.0)
28.0 (24.0-34.0)
31.0 (25.0-36.0)
0.001
SGPT in U/L
27.0 (21.0-36.5)
23.0 (21.0-30.5)
24.0 (21.0-34.0)
0.012
INR
1.1 (1.0-1.1)
1.1 (1.0-1.1)
1.12 (1.10-1.12)
0.158
Serum creatinine in mg/dL
0.8 (0.7-0.9)
0.8 (0.7-0.9)
0.80 (0.68-0.97)
0.459
BUN in mg/dL
12.3 (9.0-14.4)
12.3 (9.9-14.5)
12.30 (5.0-12.0)
0.479
GB wall thickness in mm
12.0 (9.2-15.1)
6.0 (4.0-8.0)
8.0 (5.0-12.0)
< 0.001
Table 2 Association of tumor markers with benign gallbladder disease and gallbladder cancer
All parameters
Benign, n = 120
Carcinoma, n = 80
P value
CA 19-9 in U/mL
3.1 (1.4-19.4)
112.9 (23.3-318.8)
< 0.001
CA 19-9, n (%)
Normal
108 (90.0)
23 (28.7)
< 0.001
Elevated
12 (10.0)
57 (71.3)
CA 125 in U/mL
8.6 (3.1-15.1)
24.5 (12.0-53.3)
< 0.001
CA 125, n (%)
Normal
112 (93.3)
49 (61.3)
< 0.001
Elevated
8 (6.7)
31 (38.8)
CEA in µg/L
2.3 (1.2-3.1)
3.1 (1.8-4.5)
< 0.003
CEA, n (%)
Normal
114 (94)
60 (75)
< 0.003
Elevated
6 (5.9)
20 (25)
CA 242 in U/mL
2.8 (1.5-9.8)
55.5 (32.7-96.5)
< 0.001
CA 242, n (%)
Normal
108 (90.0)
11 (13.7)
< 0.001
Elevated
12 (10.0)
69 (86.3)
Table 3 Association between tumor markers and clinical characteristics
Characteristics
CA 19-9
P value
CA 125
P value
CEA
P value
CA 242
P value
Normal, n = 131
Elevated, n = 69
Normal, n = 161
Elevated, n = 39
Normal, n = 181
Elevated, n = 19
Normal, n = 119
Elevated,n = 81
Age, yr
49.0 (39.0-59.0)
55.0 (45.0-63.5)
0.009
50.0 (39.0-59.0)
56.0 (50.0-69.0)
0.001
50.0 (40.0-59.5)
56.0 (45.0-65.0)
0.093
48.0 (34.0-56.0)
56.0 (47.5-64.5)
< 0.001
Sex
Male
46 (35.1)
22 (31.9)
0.754
51 (31.7)
17 (43.6)
0.112
62 (34.3)
6 (31.6)
> 0.05
41 (34.5)
27 (33.3)
0.881
Female
85 (64.9)
47 (68.1)
110 (68.3)
22 (56.4)
119 (65.7)
13 (68.4)
78 (65.5)
54 (66.7)
Gallstones
Absent
12 (9.2)
10 (14.5)
0.181
19 (11.8)
3 (7.7)
0.578
21 (11.6)
1 (5.3)
0.701
7 (5.9)
15 (18.5)
0.010
Present
119 (90.8)
59 (85.5)
142 (88.2)
36 (92.3)
160 (88.4)
18 (94.7)
112 (94.1)
66 (81.5)
Table 4 Analyses of the sensitivity of tumor markers in different stages of gallbladder cancer
Clinical stages
Patients, n = 80
CA 19-9
CEA
CA 125
CA 242
I
15 (18.6)
10 (66.7)
1 (6.7)
5 (33.3)
13 (86.7)
IIA
13 (16.3)
12 (92.3)
1 (7.7)
5 (38.5)
12 (92.3)
IIB
4 (5.0)
4 (100.0)
0
2 (50.0)
4 (100.0)
IIIA
4 (5.0)
4 (100.0)
0
2 (50.0)
4 (100.0)
IIIB
44 (55.0)
27 (61.3)
8 (18.1)
17 (38.6)
36 (81.8)
Table 5 Analyses of different combinations of markers in gallbladder cancer diagnosis
Group
n
1 marker
2 markers
3 markers
4 markers
Benign GB disease
120
29 (24.2)
6 (5.0)
1 (0.8)
0
GBC
80
14 (17.5)
27 (33.7)
25 (31.3)
3 (3.8)
Positive likelihood rate
0.5%
4.5%
25%
100%
Table 6 Performance of markers for predicting gallbladder cancer
Variable
Sensitivity, %
Specificity, %
PPV, %
NPV, %
AUC (95%CI); P value
CA 19-9 (cutoff: 39.21 by ROC)
71.3
90.0
82.6
82.4
0.849 (0.791-0.907); < 0.001
CA 125 (cutoff: 36.00 by ROC)
38.8
93.3
79.5
69.6
0.758 (0.686-0.831); < 0.001
CEA (cutoff: 10.36 by ROC)
12.5
92.5
52.6
61.3
0.623 (0.542-0.703); 0.003
CA 242 (cutoff: 15.10 by ROC)
86.3
90.0
85.2
90.8
0.925 (0.881-0.969); < 0.001
Table 7 Performance of combination of markers for predicting gallbladder cancer
Variable
Sensitivity, %
Specificity, %
PPV, %
NPV, %
Combination of any 2 markers
63.5
95.0
84.6
85.7
Combination of markers CA 19-9 and CA 242, n = 26
83.2
93.3
96.2
83.5
Combination of ≥ 3 markers
35.0
100.0
100.0
69.8
Table 8 Correlations between carbohydrate antigen 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125, and carbohydrate antigen 242 expression and lymph node metastasis
Marker level
No LNM, n = 36
LNM, n = 44
P value
CA 19-9 in U/mL
110.5 (54.2- 176.7)
221.8 (14.9-753.0)
< 0.05
CEA in µg/L
3.2 (1.4-4.0)
3.37 (1.9-6.2)
> 0.05
CA 125 in U/mL
23.0 (21.5-47.3)
33.0 (7.4-64.2)
> 0.05
CA 242 in U/mL
48.5 (36.1-84.7)
92.0 (25.8-112.0)
< 0.05
Table 9 Cox proportional hazards model for multivariate regression analysis
Prognostic factor
Parameter estimate
Wald χ2
P value
Hazard ratio
95% CI
CA 19-9
0
0.152
0.697
1
0.999-1.001
CEA
-0.137
1.415
0.234
0.872
0.696-1.093
CA 125
0.001
0.211
0.464
1.001
0.995-1.008
CA 242
0.017
10.422
0.001
1.017
1.007-1.027
LNM
-2.06
6.001
0.014
0.127
0.024-0.662
Age
-0.05
2.814
0.093
0.951
0.897-1.009
Sex
-0.264
0.098
0.755
0.768
0.146-4.027
BMI
0.038
0.478
0.489
1.038
0.933-1.155
GB wall thickness
-0.076
2.096
0.148
0.927
0.837-1.027
Stone size
-0.318
2.114
0.146
0.728
0.474-1.117
Citation: Sinha SR, Prakash P, Singh RK, Sinha DK. Assessment of tumor markers CA 19-9, CEA, CA 125, and CA 242 for the early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of gallbladder cancer. World J Gastrointest Surg 2022; 14(11): 1272-1284