High Serum CA19-9 Concentration Indicates High Chemosensitivity and Better Survival in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate whether baseline serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 predicts prognosis or treatment effect in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic or recurrent UC between April 2008 and November 2014. CA19-9 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the relationship between CA19-9 and prognosis were analyzed. Results: Of 40 patients, seven with CA19-9 ≤2 U/ml who were suspected of having Lewis A-negative blood type and two patients with advanced metastatic liver disease were excluded. UC-specific survival in metastatic disease significantly correlated with prognosis (p=0.018). Overall survival in patients with high serum CA19-9 demonstrated a significantly better prognosis than in those with low concentrations (log-rank test, p=0.032). Conclusion: High baseline serum CA19-9 may predict a good prognosis in patients with advanced UC.