Hello and thank you for your post. 

I'm sorry to read about what your dad is going through and I appreciate that this is a worrying time right now. 

The  CA 19-9 is a blood test that looks for a protein found in the blood.  It can sometimes be raised, but not always, in some type of cancers. 

This is why your dad has been referred for additional tests, such as a CT scan, as the CA 19-9 marker cannot be used for diagnosis on its own. 

However, as you already know the CA 19-9 test on its own is not reliable enough to diagnose people, as it can be raised in malignant and nonmalignant disease. Non cancerous causes include biliary tract obstruction, cholangitis, inflammatory bowel disease, acute or chronic pancreatitis, cirrhosis, cystic fibrosis, and benign epidermoid splenic cysts. 

I hope you know more soon and everything will be ok for your dad. 

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday. 

Kind regards,

 Tina