Diagnostic and therapeutic value of carbohydrate antigen 199 in digestive system diseases

Carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) is a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein that is mainly distributed in the fetal pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and intestine. Circulating blood CA199 level is low in healthy adults, but it is significantly higher in patients with malignant tumors of the digestive tract. Therefore, it is widely used as an important clinical indicator in the diagnosis or prognosis evaluation of these diseases. However, recent studies have shown that CA199 also increases in some gastrointestinal benign diseases such as gallstones, pancreatitis, and benign liver diseases. In this paper, we review the expression of CA199 in different digestive system diseases and the related clinical significance. Key words: Carbohydrate antigen 199; Digestive system diseases; Malignant neoplasms; Benign disease; Diagnosis and treatment