Tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and systemic inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) have been suggested as potential prognostic indicators for pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of these biomarkers on survival in patients with pancreatic cancer
The current cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 patients newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, CRP, and ESR were measured at baseline using standardized laboratory protocols. Survival analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models across three models: unadjusted, adjusted for age and sex, and fully adjusted for clinical and demographic variables. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and the log-rank test were used to evaluate differences in survival reporting by hazard ratio (HR) and a significant level <0.05
Out of 50 patients, 30 were males and the mean age was 62.8 ± 10.5 years. No statistically significant difference in survival was observed between patients with different levels of CEA across all models (P>0.05). However, elevated CA19-9 levels (>1000 U/mL) were significantly associated with reduced survival (P<0.001). In the fully adjusted model, high CA19-9 levels were associated with a 4.82-fold increased risk of death (HR=4.82; 95% CI: 1.34–17.31; P=0.016). Similarly, CRP levels >40 mg/L were associated with increased mortality risk in unadjusted (HR=2.62; 95% CI: 1.04–6.57; P=0.040) and age- and sex-adjusted models (HR=2.93; 95% CI: 1.15–7.45; P=0.024), though this association lost significance in the fully adjusted model (P>0.05). ESR showed no significant association with survival in any model (P>0.05)
Our findings demonstrated that elevated CA19-9 had the strongest and most consistent association with poor survival outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer, even after adjusting for confounders. While elevated CRP levels may indicate worse prognosis, their predictive value diminished after full adjustment
