Can IL 2R alpha be a valuable marker along with CA 19 9 in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is characterized initially by non-specific abdominal symptoms followed by rapid tumor progression. Although chronic pancreatitis is a benign disorder, it can be one of the causative factors of pancreatic cancer. The level of the tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in pancreatic cancer does not correlate with the stage of the neoplasm. Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a cytokine that shows increased levels during some inflammatory processes and malignant disorders. AIM: Our aim in this study was to investigate whether sIL-2Ralpha levels can be used in association with CA 19-9 in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. PATIENTS: Serum samples were obtained from the blood of 21 pancreatic cancer patients without distant metastasis who were deemed inoperable, 16 chronic pancreatitis patients and 20 normal volunteers. RESULTS: We did not find any significant differences in CA 19-9 levels between normal controls and patients with chronic pancreatitis. There was a significant difference in the levels between the control group and the pancreatic cancer group (p = 0.003) and between patients with chronic pancreatitis and those with pancreatic cancer (p = 0.004). Although there was no significant difference in sIL-2Ralpha levels between the control group and the patient groups, we found a slight correlation between sIL-2Ralpha and CA 19-9 levels in the pancreatic cancer group (p = 0.003, r = 0.623) and a more marked correlation in the chronic pancreatitis group (p < 0.01, r = 0.751). CONCLUSION: According to our results, sIL-2Ralpha alone is not a good candidate marker in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; it can, however, be used in association with CA 19-9 for this purpose.