Good CEA report?

marqimark
marqimark Member Posts: 242 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
I had my second 3 month follow up after chemo.

In April my CEA was 1.2 and today it is 1.3.

I told my wife and she was really upset that it went up. I told her the numbers are low and it was a normal fluctuation and not to worry. I have read some high numbers that have been reported on this board.

I don't know what my baseline is from last November.

Are CEAs zero for people that have never had CRC?

I am so confused.

I did get a prescription for Gabopentin, hope it starts to help.

Comments

  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #2
    Normal for a Smoker
    is 5.0

    For a non-smoker it is 2.0

    + or - of course.

    :)
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #3
    Buckwirth said:

    Normal for a Smoker
    is 5.0

    For a non-smoker it is 2.0

    + or - of course.

    :)

    My ONC says 5 is normal for
    My ONC says 5 is normal for a non smoker, so???? And I just read that too. Mine is 4.5 and it was like at 2.5 a year ago!
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #4
    Nana b said:

    My ONC says 5 is normal for
    My ONC says 5 is normal for a non smoker, so???? And I just read that too. Mine is 4.5 and it was like at 2.5 a year ago!

    Plus or Minus
    so anything under 5.0 should be good.

    Truth is it can be up to 20 and have nothing to do with cancer.
  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    #5
    Buckwirth said:

    Plus or Minus
    so anything under 5.0 should be good.

    Truth is it can be up to 20 and have nothing to do with cancer.

    CEA is not an exact science , it does not mean that if you are
    in 5 you are healthy and if you are in 5.1 you are ill, I think a figure below 6 or 7 in smokers is still fine , something around 4 is still considered acceptable in non smokers. Just think that if you are 1.2 your cea has more chances to go up than to go down since minus 0 does not exist in CEA levels!. Hahahahaha! fluctuations of 0.1 is just ridiculous ! I'm sure if they would do another test just 5 minutes later you would have a different figure!.
    So don't worry about, you don't have a good cea level, you got and excellent CEA level ! , don't expect big drops with that figure!.
    Hugs man!
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #6
    sounds good!
    Sounds like your CEA is well within the range of normal (hoorah! yea!). Each lab should have their own information on range of normal. My printout comes with that attached. You might want to enquire. But, it definitely sounds within normal, no matter which ranges you are using. Congratulations! Good luck with the Gabepentin.

    tara
  • marqimark
    marqimark Member Posts: 242 Member
    #7
    Thanks
    Thanks all for the reassurance.

    I guess if I didn't have these messed up hands and feet, I would feel like I never even went through the ordeal that was CRC; colon resection and chemo.
    An ordeal that was so minor compared to some of the testamonies I have read here.
    I am so thankful that I was DX when I was still 3c and only had to have a colon resection and chemo.

    Mark

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