CEA

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Trig
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Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 2:17 pm

CEA

Postby Trig » Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:30 am

Hi everyone, just got my blood results and cea has gone from 2.2 to 2.8 - concerned about this.....have my ct results on Thursday. Any thoughts?? I don't know much about this, but do know when it starts to go up its not good right??

thanks

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Robino1
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Re: CEA

Postby Robino1 » Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:42 am

Trig wrote:Hi everyone, just got my blood results and cea has gone from 2.2 to 2.8 - concerned about this.....have my ct results on Thursday. Any thoughts?? I don't know much about this, but do know when it starts to go up its not good right??

thanks


That is a very small fluctuation. Mine is concerning as it rose by 10 full points. If you have an infection, that can cause a minor rise. A rise by .6 should not be concerning. If it keeps trending up, then you should start to worry a bit. CEA numbers can fluctuate without it being cancer caused.
At 54 2014 1st colonoscopy colon cancer detect
Colon resect margins clear. No chemo Stage II
2017
Distend abd, pain in intestines.
CT scan seeding & Ascites
Lap diag - cancer on the omentum
CEA 217; 219
FOLFOX started 6/17
CEA 202
8/29/17 CT melting of tumor.
Latest CT scan shows 2 new tumors and return of ascites.
CEA: (2017)9/30 -109; 10/12 -99.1; 11/4 -90.7; 11/30 -70.7; 12/14 -83.4; (2018)1/4 -73.3; 2/1-84.2; 89.2; 89.8; 88.5; 81.8: 93.5; 107; 119
BRAF V600e

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O Stoma Mia
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Re: CEA

Postby O Stoma Mia » Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:44 am

Trig wrote:Hi everyone, just got my blood results and cea has gone from 2.2 to 2.8 - concerned about this.....have my ct results on Thursday. Any thoughts?? I don't know much about this, but do know when it starts to go up its not good right?? thanks

I have several thoughts:

1. This result is well within the normal range, and typically would not be of much concern, either for a doctor or a patient.
2. This rise is relatively small and could be explained by a number of factors, including differences in time of day when the blood draws were taken, and many other factors.
3. Doctors typically will not get concerned unless there is a consistent rise that extends over several months. You would have to have at least three tests in a row, all of them rising, in order to document a consistent rising trend. One isolated elevation does not constitute an upward trend. A trend is calculated on the basis of "% change per month" over a series of months. See this post for more information on rate-of-change-per-month.
4. What doctors look for is "rising trend" vs. "stabilized elevated level". If CEA stabilizes at an elevated level over a period of months, then there are some rule-of-thumb guidelines for interpreting the elevated stable levels. For example:
CEA levels (stable trend)
o Normal range, non-smokers: < 3.5 ng/mL
o Normal range, smokers: < 5 ng/mL
o 5 ng/mL – 9 ng/mL : slighty above normal – most likely a benign inflammation
o 10 ng/mL – 19 ng/mL - low threshold for mets (probable indicates a met; will require further testing)
o 20 ng/mL - 35 ng/mL - most likely metastatic; moderate tumor burden
o > 35 ng/mL – most certainly metastatic; large tumor burden

5. Even if the CEA of 2.8 is indeed the start of an upward trend, there is not much that can be done about it at the moment, because they would need to know where the excess CEA is coming from before they can do anything. They cannot justifiably schedule any chemo or any surgery until they have confirmation (from a CT scan, MRI, etc.) of the source of the elevated result. With an increase as small as 0.6 in CEA it is very unlikely that any type of scan can detect anything that would have produced this small of an increase. The standard response to rising CEA is to have the patient tested again in another 3 months to see if there is a sustained trend and to see if there is any new evidence of a metastasis
6. CEA is not a "good marker" for all patients. You might be one of the patients for whom CEA is not predictive of metastasis and is not worth tracking. (What evidence do you have that CEA is a good marker for you? What was your CEA level prior to diagnosis compared to what it is now?)
7. Over the years, there have been many, many threads here about CEA levels. You can browse through some them to see what the general consensus is about CEA rises that fluctuate well within the normal range.

Deb m
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Re: CEA

Postby Deb m » Tue Jun 05, 2018 2:17 pm

My husbands cea fluctuated all the time. Once it went from 3.3 to 5.8 and no cancer was found. He's been ned for 7 years now. It's nerve racking to say the least. My guess is that it's nothing. Hang in there.

Deb m

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juliej
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Re: CEA

Postby juliej » Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:42 pm

Trig wrote:Hi everyone, just got my blood results and cea has gone from 2.2 to 2.8 - concerned about this.....have my ct results on Thursday. Any thoughts?? I don't know much about this, but do know when it starts to go up its not good right??

thanks

Decimal point changes aren't considered important in CEA results. My onc said you can have two CEA tests a few hours apart and get slight changes in the readings. They look for full point changes (2.2 to 3.2, for example) or greater before they're concerned, and even then they don't really worry until your reading is above the normal range. Hope this helps put your mind at ease!
Stage IVb, liver/lung mets 8/4/2010
Xelox+Avastin 8/18/10 to 10/21/2011
LAR, liver resec, HAI pump 11/2011
Adjuvant Irinotecan + FUDR
Double lung surgery + ileo reversal 2/2012
Adjuvant FUDR + Xeloda
VATS rt. lung 12/2012 - benign granuloma!
VATS left lung 11/2013
NED 11/22/13 to 12/18/2019, CEA<1

Trig
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Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 2:17 pm

Re: CEA

Postby Trig » Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:39 am

Thank you everyone for your responses, they are much appreciated. I go to doctor tomorrow to get results of my scans. I am only concerned because my first on was 2.1 then 2.2 and now 2.8. I realize it is still within normal limits, but it is rising. I am hoping obviously that it is nothing. They only take one every 6 months, but I will ask for another in 3 months time. I appreciate all the info, as I have much to learn regarding this subject.

Take care everyone and thanks again

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O Stoma Mia
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Re: CEA

Postby O Stoma Mia » Wed Jun 06, 2018 2:06 pm

Good luck tomorrow. When you see the doctor, try to get a copy of the radiologist report itself, not just an oral re-phrasing of the report's content.

These kinds of reports generally have two parts, the Findings, and the Interpretation. You need to be able to go through both parts in detail and ask questions about the things that you don't understand.

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dianetavegia
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Re: CEA

Postby dianetavegia » Thu Jun 07, 2018 8:51 am

My CEA jumped from 2.9 to 5.8 last fall and I asked for my thyroid to be checked. I was hypothyroid which causes a false high CEA. After 4 months on meds for my thyroid, my CEA dropped OVER 50%. They JUST got my thyroid to a normal/ healthy level this month.

Might ask the doctor to check TSH levels.
Stage III cc surgery 1/7/09. 12 tx FOLFOX
Stage IV PET = 1.5cm liver met. HR 4/11/12

14 years since dx and 11 years post liver resection.
Pronounced CURED and discharged by onc

“O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.” Psalms 30:2


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