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Cancer research

Prognostic Markers for Gallbladder Cancer Reveal Need for Improved Surveillance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Gallbladder cancer patients undergoing resection between 2002 and 2021 were studied to determine the prognostic significance of baseline serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. Researchers from Ohio State University found that individuals with low CA19-9/low CEA levels had the most favorable 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) after surgery, while those with high CA19-9/high CEA levels had the worst RFS. These findings highlight the need for better markers to monitor for recurrence following gallbladder cancer resection.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study involved 194 patients who underwent resection of gallbladder cancer between 2002 and 2021.
  • Median preoperative CA19-9 and CEA levels were 18.8 U/mL (IQR 7.0-88.0) and 2.2 ng/mL (IQR 1.3-3.8), respectively.
  • 92 (47.4%) and 67 (34.5%) patients had elevated CA19-9 ( > 20 U/mL) and CEA ( > 3 ng/mL) levels before surgery, respectively.
  • Individuals with low CA19-9/low CEA had the most favorable 3-year RFS (74.5%) after surgery, followed by those with either high CA19-9 (high CA19-9/low CEA: 41.6%) or high CEA (low CA19-9/high CEA: 60.9%) levels.
  • Patients with high CA19-9/high CEA had the worst 3-year RFS (21.5%) following surgery.

Statistics:

  • 47.4% of patients had elevated preoperative CA19-9 levels.
  • 34.5% of patients had elevated preoperative CEA levels.
  • The negative predictive value of normal vs. normalized CA19-9 levels relative to the development of recurrence within 1 year after surgery was evaluated.

Sources:

  • "Recurrence After Gallbladder Cancer Resection: Prognostic Impact of Ca19-9 and Cea Levels At Baseline and During Surveillance." Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2025.
  • Ohio State University, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dept. of Surgery, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
  • Diamantis I. Tsilimigras, Odysseas P. Chatzipanagiotou, Timothy M. Pawlik, Andrea Ruzzenente, Federico Aucejo, Hugo P. Marques, Joao Bandovas, Tom Hugh, Nazim Bhimani, Shishir K. Maithel, Minoru Kitago, and Itaru Endo.

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