A medical patient's CA 19-9 levels have become available and they are significantly elevated. How should the nurse best interpret this diagnostic finding?
A) The patient may have cancer, but other GI disease must be ruled out.
B) The patient most likely has early-stage colorectal cancer.
C) The patient has a genetic predisposition to gastric cancer.
D) The patient has cancer, but the site is unknown.
Ans: A
Feedback:
CA 19-9 levels are elevated in most patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, but they may also be elevated in other conditions such as colorectal, lung, and gallbladder cancers; gallstones; pancreatitis; cystic fibrosis; and liver disease. A cancer diagnosis cannot be made solely on CA 19-9 results.
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