Hi,
My guess is that your father may have tested positive for the Ca 19.9 antigen. This is a "tumor
marker" and its presence may indicate an underlying pancreatic malignancy.
Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer in the USA. Over 30,000 cases are diagnosed each year.
Men are affected in a slightly higher proportion than women. Risk factors include smoking (including
"passive smoking" now called ETS or Environmental Tobacco Smoke), older age, African American race,
Ashkenazi ancestry, obesity, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyle.
Does the fact that his mother had pancreatic cancer put him at higher risk for developing it himself? It is
estimated that only 10 to 20% of pancreatic cancers have a genetic or familial hereditary basis. Activation of
"oncogenes" or inactivation of "tumor suppressor genes" is involved in the development of
pancreatic cancer.
Let me emphasize that the mere presence of elevated levels of Ca 19-9 is not diagnostic of pancreatic cancer.
This marker may be increased in several benign conditions involving the pancreas as well.
