Yonago Acta medica 1997;40:147–151
Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia with Increased Serum Levels of Cancer-Associated Antigens, CA19-9 and SLX
Naoto Burioka, Hisashi Suyama, Toshiyuki Tatsukawa, Shinji Hori, Yasushi Kometani, Yuji Kawasaki, Noriko Nakada and Takao
Sasaki
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683 Japan
We report a case of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP)
with elevated serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and
sialyl Lewisx-i (SLX). A 67-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to
our hospital with a fever, dry cough and dyspnea on exertion. She had
previously been admitted and had then been diagnosed as IIP. The
serum level of SLX, measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA), was markedly
elevated (120 U/mL; cut-off, < 38 U/mL). The serum level of
CA19-9, measured by RIA, was at a slightly high level (46 U/mL;
cut-off, < 40 U/mL). The values of CA19-9 and SLX were changed
during her clinical course. These cancer-associated antigens were
immunohistochemically expressed on the hyperplastic bronchiolar
epithelium, on the surface epithelium cells of microscopic
honeycombing and on exudates in air space. Repeated damage to the
lungs may have forced these antigens of the markers into the blood
circulation, which may have resulted in the elevated serum levels of
CA19-9 and SLX observed in this patient.
Key words: CA19-9; cancer-associated antigen; idiopathic interstitial pneumonia; SLX
