Elevated chromogranin A (CgA) serum levels in the patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

The neuroendocrine differentiation in PC could potentially represent a new finding with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic implications. This study aimed at evaluating the clinical usefulness of CgA as a neuroendocrine (NE) serum-marker. We investigated the role of the serum concentration of CgA in a study group of patients with PC. CgA was significantly higher in the patients affected by PC as compared with the group of healthy subjects (HS) and those with chronic pancreatitis (CHP) (p < 0.001). Also the HS group differed significantly from the CHP control group in the serum CgA levels (p < 0.001). The serum carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) level displayed a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the PC and the HS group. The PC and CHP groups, as well as the HS and CHP groups showed also significant differences in the CA19-9 levels (p < 0.001). One can conclude that the patients with higher CgA levels had poorer prognosis and survival, as compared to those with lower CgA levels. These results support the notion that the determination of serum CgA level before treatment may be a potential prognostic factor for PC. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.