Diagnostic Value of CA 19-9 and Carcinoembryonic Antigen for Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background. CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are widely used for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The purpose of the present study was to compare the diagnostic value of CA 19-9 with CEA for pancreatic cancer. Methods. The studies were obtained from electronic searches conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases until December 2017. The keywords included diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, CA 19-9, and CEA. The ratio of sensitivity, the specificity, the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the summary of the receiver operating characteristic (SROC) with regard to CA 19-9 and CEA were measured using the random effects model. The current study included 13 studies that comprised 4,537 participants and 1,277 patients with pancreatic cancer. Results. The levels of CA 19-9 for use for the detection of pancreatic cancer were associated with higher sensitivity (ratio of sensitivity: 1.54; 1.31–1.81; P<0.001), DOR (DOR: 3.50; 95% CI: 2.24–5.45; P<0.001), and AUC (ratio of AUC: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.15–1.33; P