brokenwings wrote:fumaros wrote:brokenwings wrote:
Good luck! Is CEA a good indicator for your peri mets? I'm asking since your primary has been removed and you don't have mets elsewhere...
I don't know what to make out of my CEA.... When I was first diagnosed it was 8, now it's 1.1. My primary is still there and apparently it hasn't shrunk. Why did my CEA drop? I thought peri mets didn't release CEA...
Peri mets are made up of colon cells like your primary tumor, so the CEA is a good indicator if it was elevated. Mine shot up from normal to 10 after my primary tumor was removed and the perimets were found. More to your point, the CEA levels can drop if treatment is effective. Not visibly shrinking on scans doesn't mean the tumor isn't dying, it can just be scar tissue the scans are seeing, or at least the tumor being less active.