A very rare cause of markedly elevated CA 19.9: Autoimmune hepatitis.

Carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA 19.9) is a specific tumour marker of the biliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal tracts. Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic immune-mediated liver disorder characterised by female predominance. We report a case of approximately 30-fold increased serum CA 19.9 in a 57-year-old woman who was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. She had no evidence of any malignant disease in pancreatobiliary or gastrointestinal tracts. CA 19.9 levels decreased to normal levels with immunosuppressive treatment. Markedly elevated serum CA 19.9 levels might be encountered with benign liver diseases such as autoimmune hepatitis.