Question
I am currently accompanying my uncle in the endocrinology department of the hospital. He is 43 years old this year. We are currently in a consultation with the doctor. The doctor mentioned that the CA199 level is elevated. I was caught off guard and didn’t understand what it meant. Please explain what it means for CA199 to be elevated?
Answer
CA199 is one of the tumor markers, primarily used to observe gastrointestinal tumors. It only has clinical significance if the level is doubled or more. If it is slightly elevated, its clinical significance is not great. If the level is doubled or more and there are gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, pain in the stomach area, or increased frequency of bowel movements or hematochezia, further gastrointestinal endoscopy should be performed, including gastroscopy, colonoscopy, as well as liver, gallbladder, and spleen ultrasound examination.