Clinical Information

Pleural effusions occur as a consequence of either nonmalignant conditions (including congestive heart failure, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and liver cirrhosis) or malignant conditions (including lung, breast, and lymphoma cancers). Diagnosing the cause of an effusion can be difficult, requiring cytological examination of the fluid. Analysis of various tumor markers in pleural fluid has shown that these markers can differentiate between effusions caused by nonmalignant and malignant conditions and can enhance cytology findings.

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is a modified Lewis(a) blood group antigen. Healthy adults typically produce low to undetectable levels of CA 19-9. Serum concentrations of CA 19-9 may be elevated in patients with certain malignancies that secrete CA 19-9 into circulation, including cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal, stomach, bile duct, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.

Pleural fluid concentrations of CA 19-9 have been reported to be elevated in patients with certain malignancies. Malignancies that can secrete CA 19-9 and elevate serum CA 19-9 concentrations, including cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal, stomach, bile duct, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, typically also elevate CA 19-9 in pleural fluid. In contrast, malignancies that do not secrete CA 19-9, including mesothelioma, lymphoma, leukemia, and melanoma, have low concentrations of CA 19-9 in pleural fluid comparable to concentrations observed in nonmalignant effusions.

CA 19-9 results should be used in conjunction with cytological analysis of pleural fluid, imaging studies, and other clinical findings.