is 1.1 CEA considered high?

[gjsabmor]

Mom's CEA is up from 0.6 last month to 1.1 this month ... is this cause for concern? nobody on the team seems to think so but I am freaking out. She has one more Folfox treatment to go.

[nicola smith]

nope it's not high at all. in fact well within normal range.

edited to add: My signature lists the results of all my CEA tests at three month intervals (more or less) starting with diagnosis (2.9)

[Grace14]

Oh my god not at all in fact my cea was at 1.0 at the highest it's now back to .06. I think the normal is 3.5 so anything over that I might be concerned but dont be concerned over 1.1 that is still actually very low!!

[nbrandt]

Just to help you feel reassured. CEA does rise during treatment when cancer cells are dying or so I have read here on this board. Having my CEA done this Friday . The Oncologist said if the CEA Test rise is 6 -10 then time to retest and then CTscan. Most who use the CEA as a good test will chime in soon and also let you know this is not considered high for those who use this as an indicator for recurrence.
NBrandt

[weisssoccermom]

I'll chime in as well - that level is perfectly normal.

My CEA has bounced all over the place - from 0.5 at dx to 1.9 at it's highest and everything in between. It can be scary when you see it rise but just keep in mind that it's like anything else that fluctuates (weight, bp, temp). It's NORMAL for the level to go up and down slightly and the variation that you're talking about is miniscule.

[hannahw]

As others have said, 1.1 is totally fine. I've heard CEA described as pass/fail - anything under 6 is considered passing. But there are exceptions, like if you smoke, or have the flu, or your liver is going crazy after chemo - your CEA might be over 6 and it's not a sign of the cancer doing anything. That's why your doc is looking for trends. A steadily rising CEA might be cause for some concern.

CEA is only a small piece of the puzzle. It's a protein that some GI tumors produce and others don't. If your cancer produces CEA, it might be a good indicator for you. If you're like my Dad - his cancer has never produced CEA - your CEA may never go above 2 regardless of what your cancer is doing.

When my Dad was first diagnosed, I sweated every value/measurement of every test. When he was in the ICU I would sit watching his pulse, blood pressure and oxygen levels for hours, feeling anxious over the slightest (totally normal) bobbles. Your body isn't static. It's like a city, always moving, changing, building up, tearing down, etc. Values will fluxuate and it's totally normal. It's easier said than done, but try not to live on the test rollercoaster. As my Dad's onc says "Scan to live, don't live to scan." (Or in this case, blood draw.)

[sadysue]

Wow, I've never seen a CEA that low in anyone on chemo. That's a great number IMO and you should be VERY pleased. Mine is 2.6 and I am thrilled! For most folks, anything below 4.0 is considered normal. Good luck.
Mary Ann

[gjsabmor]

I appreciate your responses ... you've been an amazing support group for me throughout this journey and have yet again put my mind to ease.

[Patience]

My husband's is approx 250.

[SkiFletch]

Mine went 5.6 preop, 1.1 chemo start, <0.5 after round 4, 1.0 after round 8, <0.5 ever since. Totally not a big deal for CEA to bump around a bit during chemo. It's almost normal

[wwroam]

1.1 is quite low.
For the first 2 years after chemo mine was stuck around 3.5 with little fluctuation. Then it started to rise reaching 4.9 in June last year. My oncologist showed no concern so I didn't either. In December it was back to 3.5. Go figure.

[Toby57]

I was never tested for CEA during chemo, the Onc said the chemo fluctuate the number. He said normal, and I have a printout which says 0.0 to 7.2 is normal for non smokers. Different labs use different methods, my pre-surgery CEA was 3.8 and normal for non-smokers is 3.0, and that was a hospital lab that uses their own methods, different than the cancer center. They should give you a printout that shows the normal range . For my center, I have to stay below 7.2. It is confusing.

[Grace14]

Wow I feel like I'm the only one with a high cea before diagnosis!! Mine was 26 its been below 1.0 ever since!! Does anyone else know what there's was before diagnosis? Just curious!!

[Surroundedbylove]

For some people CEA is a marker and for other's it isn't. We've seen lots of people over the years with high CEA at diagnosis and others with normal. For me, it isn't a marker and even at diagnosis it was below 1. I wish it were a marker for me because it could help docs gauge things from blood tests - but it just isn't.

So, don't worry if it is a marker or if it isn't. Some tumors express it and others don't - doesn't mean anything in terms of the cancer from what I understand.

[shmurciakova]

Patience, My oncologist says she's seen patients w/ CEA in the thousands, so don't despair! The important thing is what the number is doing over time. If it is going down then that is generally taken as a good sign. If it is continually going up then that might mean something is going on.
-Susan H.