RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the diagnostic accuracy of the following parameters in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA 50), alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), alpha-2 macroglobulin (AMG), and ceruloplasmin (CP). PATIENTS AND MENTOD: We prospectively studied 58 patients with pancreatic cancer, 40 with alcoholic pancreatitis and 40 healthy controls, in whom the above-mentioned parameters were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves) were analyzed. RESULTS: The specificity of TPA, CA 19-9 and CA 50 in the differential diagnosis between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis was 87.5%, 90% and 95% respectively, with a sensitivity of nearly 90%. Although levels of AAT, AMG and CP were higher in patients with cancer than in those with pancreatitis, their specificity was lower, approximately 65%. CEA and TPA showed a positive association with the presence of metastases. CONCLUSION: TPA, CA 19-9 and CA 50 were useful in the differential diagnosis between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.
