Help! Worried sick over elevated tumour marker

[Kernol]

Please help! I had stomach pains and gas went to private doctor just for standard blood test so I could check my liver function was ok as I had started to freak it was pancreatic cancer. He suggested I havevthe ca19-9 tumour marker blood test for pancreatic cancer done which would completely eliminate my worries.

That was until it same back outside of normal range. Normal range for lab is 0-27 and mine was 29. All other results normal.


I have been in a state ever since convinced I have a death sentence of pancreatic cancer hanging over me. I had an MRI done the next day privately to try and allay my fears. It showed nothing but I'm still panicking.

I have read elevated levels can be a precursor to pancreatic cancer developing in months to come and I feel like Im a ticking time bomb.

How am I supposed to live like this? I can't eat sleep concentrate. All I can do is obsess about why my tumour marker is so high. I know he should never have done the test in the first place as it is not supposed to be used for screening but that doesn't help me now

Can anyone offer any advice on what I should do? Has anyone else hears of anyone healthy having raised ca19??

[stoop14]

Sorry to hear what your going through I can relate to getting a just outside "normal" reading. But what is really normal? I had elevated thyroid numbers so they tested for other stuff and I had higher then "normal" blood protein thing (forget medical term) both were markers for a very rare liver disease. I thought I too had a death sentence. But more tests proved i ddidn't. As you had a scan and no tumor was seen. Everyone isn't the exact same and people all have abnormalities. So the more you do testing the more you'll find little abnormalities. I hope that helps a little.

[Gary A]

You had an MRI and it showed nothing. If you had pancreatic cancer, or were at risk of it, you'd know by now.

[Frankie123]

When you got your blood test results, did the doctor not offer an explanation as to why the marker might be raised. I am sure there are many reasons why this might happen. I personally, due to family history, have a CA125 blood test every six months. Sometimes it is slightly raised and sometimes normal. Unless your result was significantly raised I doubt it is anything serious but to put your mind at rest I would go back to the doctor who took the test and get some answers from him rather than from google.

[Kernol]

Thanks everyone for your replies I really appreciate it. The doctor didn't offer any reason why it could be elevated. I had ca125 as well which was high end of Normal and I know lots of non serious things even your period can affect the one but there doesn't seem to be any reasons for ca19 being elevated that fit with me or my symptoms hence the concern.

I know the MRI should offer me comfort and it does a bit but I have unfortunately read that MRIs cannot always pick up early small pancreatic tumours and I'm still petrified.

[jessicalittler79]

Sorry you are haven hard time try to trust mri and relax ,did doc say he will recheck blood work again ?

[Kernol]

Thanks I am trying. One doctor said thry would recheck it in a week or so but the one who did it initially said not to bother as MRI was ok