To investigate the value of combined detection of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9 in diagnosis of hepatolithiasis complicated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

A total of 41 patients with hepatolithiasis admitted and treated in the 175^th Hospital of PLA between January 2005 and January 2012 were enrolled in this prospective study. The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the local ethical committee approval had been received. According to the results of pathological examination, the patients were divided into the hepatolithiasis complicated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma group (cholangiocarcinoma group, n=21) and the hepatolithiasis group (calculus group, n=20). Moreover, 20 healthy people were enrolled in the control group. In the cholangiocarcinoma group, 13 were males and 8 were females with the average age of (50±10) years old. In the hepatolithiasis group, 10 were males and 10 were females with the average age of (53±10) years old. In the control group, 10 were males and 10 were females with the average age of (52±9) years old. Serum CEA and CA19-9 level of the three groups were compared, and the value of combined detection of serum CEA and CA19-9 in diagnosis of hepatolithiasis complicated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was observed. The comparison on the detection data of three groups was conducted using one-way analysis of variance and LSD-t test. The comparison on positive rate was conducted using Chi-square test.

Serum CEA and CA19-9 of the cholangiocarcinoma group were respectively (17±7) μg/L and (528±228) kU/L, which were significantly higher than (3±1) μg/L and (168±97) kU/L of the hepatolithiasis group (LSD-t=9.126, 6.498; P<0.05). The positive rate of combined detection of serum CEA and CA19-9 in the cholangiocarcinoma group was 86%, which was significantly higher than 52% and 76% of single detection of CEA and CA19-9 (χ²=5.46, 4.20; P<0.05).

Combined detection of serum CEA and CA19-9 may increase the preoperative detection rate of hepatolithiasis complicated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and may be beneficial to the differential diagnosis of hepatolithiasis.