dr. appt update

[Still Smiling 1971]

had last Dr. appt on tuesday my cea levels are down from 3.6 to 2.7 not sure what this means but the doctor smile and said your doing great...CAT on dec 30 with follow up on jan 6 he is thinking postive...but i don't know what to think....all these BIG word confuse me , and i'm a Penn State Grad...wow....could anyone tell me with i should expect throught what he's saying.....

[weisssoccermom]

Still smiling,

It's a good sign that your CEA is coming down. Assuming that you are a non-smoker, a normal CEA level is anything below 2.5 or 3.0 (depending on the lab). It is higher for smokers. CEA stands for carcinoembryonic antigen and is a type of protein molecule that is often found in cancer tumors. The CEA test is NOT a reliable test to diagnosis someone with colorectal cancers as not all tumors express this protein. Doctors do not like to see the CEA level either abruptly rise or even take a slow, long lasting upward trend. The fact that your CEA level is going down is a good sign and would appear to indicate that the chemo (and/or surgery, if you have had surgery) is doing its job. Again, by itself, the CEA test is not a reliable test to determine whether or not a patient still has cancer cells remaining in his/her body.

It sounds as though you have done quite well and the oncologist is expecting to see a good CT scan that he is hoping will show a decrease in your liver mets and/or some changes with the lymph nodes. That's just a guess though and you will have to wait until the scan is done and you see him in January. Just keep thinking positively and enjoy the good news that your CEA levels are going down which usually indicates good things.

Jaynee