Radioimmunoassay for Monitoring Pancreatic Cancer

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) for monitoring patients with pancreatic cancer is a simple blood test that helps doctors evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. The assay has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The test utilizes an in vitro tumor marker, CA 19-9, which enables a doctor to evaluate whether there is a need for immediate, additional imaging tests and more-aggressive treatment because the disease is progressing, or whether the disease has stabilized and the current therapy should be continued. A decrease in CA 19-9 assay values correlates with a positive response to therapy, while an increase in CA 19-9 values may indicate progressive disease and thus aid the doctor in assessing treatment regimens. The assay is the product of Fujirebio Diagnostics (Malvern, PA, USA).

The overall one-year survival rate of patients with cancer of the pancreas is 19%, and only 3% of patients survive five years. Clinical management of patients is very difficult. Because most cases have spread beyond the pancreas by the time of diagnosis, management of the disease consists of accurate staging as a guide to aggressive intervention or chemotherapy.

"CA 19-9 is an extremely useful marker of disease status, especially when assessed frequently since, in conjunction with clinical assessment, it enables clinical decisions with respect to treatment options to be made earlier to the benefit of the patient,” said Jules Harris, M.D., professor of medicine at Rush Medical College (Chicago, IL, USA).





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