Utility of serum IgG, IgG4 and carbonic anhydrase II antibodies in distinguishing autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) can mimic pancreatic cancer in its clinical presentation, imaging features and laboratory parameters. The aim of our study was to compare IgG, IgG4 and anti-CAIIAb serum levels in patients with AIP, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) and to assess their clinical significance and utility in differential diagnosis of pancreatic diseases. The study included 124 patients: 45 with PA, 24 with AIP and 55 with CP. Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from all analyzed patients at the time of hospital admission and total IgG, IgG4 and anti-CAIIAB serum levels were measured using ELISA tests. Serum levels of IgG, IgG4 and anti-CAIIAb were significantly higher in patients with AIP compared to PA and CP patients (p