NED means Zero CEA?

lp1964
lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

I'm wondering when you have NED does the CEA have to be zero?

Laz

Comments

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #2
    One's CEA not going up and

    One's CEA not going up and under a predetermined number is considered NEA.     Woo Hoo for you!  The CEA is not the only number to be determinate of one's cancer.  

     

    Many have had NED status and yet have cancer.  (Sorry to rain on one's parade.)  Take life every day as a special gift.  Return that gift to every one you meet.  That is the real meaning of life!  When we can infleuence people in the positvie and make a real difference in people's life, that is the menaing of life.  Everything else, is not necessarily memorable.  Live life like it means a difference to everyone you meet. Then Life was memeorable and meaningful. 

     

    OK, I am off the soap box.

    Best Always,  mike

     

    PS I have been diagnose twice as NED.  I still choose to live my life to help others.  NED should be more of a state of mine and being then a diagnosis from a doctor.   I met a person that we had Chemo together many times.  He said he is positive and that Chemo did not do well for him. He got rid of Colon Cancer and now has 44% leukemia. What a trade off!  At the same time he was enjoying life.  I am in a similar posistion, I lessened my cancer, yet it is still there. Bottom line: Enjoy and Live life!  We do not know how long we are going to be here and how many we can infleuence. 

     

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #3
    Average human have

    From 0 to 2.5 Smokers usually can go up to 5.  And people without cancer can also have high ranges on occasion. Forme the one occasion I was NED a couple of years ago was a 5.

    Winter Marie

  • joemetz
    joemetz Member Posts: 493
    #4
    thxmiker said:

    One's CEA not going up and

    One's CEA not going up and under a predetermined number is considered NEA.     Woo Hoo for you!  The CEA is not the only number to be determinate of one's cancer.  

     

    Many have had NED status and yet have cancer.  (Sorry to rain on one's parade.)  Take life every day as a special gift.  Return that gift to every one you meet.  That is the real meaning of life!  When we can infleuence people in the positvie and make a real difference in people's life, that is the menaing of life.  Everything else, is not necessarily memorable.  Live life like it means a difference to everyone you meet. Then Life was memeorable and meaningful. 

     

    OK, I am off the soap box.

    Best Always,  mike

     

    PS I have been diagnose twice as NED.  I still choose to live my life to help others.  NED should be more of a state of mine and being then a diagnosis from a doctor.   I met a person that we had Chemo together many times.  He said he is positive and that Chemo did not do well for him. He got rid of Colon Cancer and now has 44% leukemia. What a trade off!  At the same time he was enjoying life.  I am in a similar posistion, I lessened my cancer, yet it is still there. Bottom line: Enjoy and Live life!  We do not know how long we are going to be here and how many we can infleuence. 

     

    mike - great post

    hi Mike

    I was learking around here this morning, and came across your post.... and your LIVE LIFE message.

    thank you thank you thank you.

    I really needed that today.

    I've been having a bit of a personal struggle with my emotions, my faith and everything going on. I am unable to work as much as I used to, or as much as i would like to. The last three months of treatments have "changed me" physically and emotionally. yet, i did get some good news this week as I am not NED (i never will be), yet I am NPD. (No Progression of Disease).

    this battle can be so hard, yet good words and good works can help us fulfill why we are hear.

    i keep reminding myself... everyone dies. we just happen to know we most likely are going to die, much much sooner than others around us and we take these poisenous drugs to buy us to the next PET or CT scan... for me, I am living 3 months at a time.

    and, my challenge is to change my stinking-thinking around so I'm not in this pitty party about it... and to do as you say, and redirect my attention to help others, positively affect others and to enjoy every day. instead, as of late... i find myself stuck in worry and I also find myself wanting to get "everything in order" for when that time comes so no one else has to ever worry about the details of all that stuff like a funeral, burial etc.

     

    anyway... thank you!

     

    Joe

  • joemetz
    joemetz Member Posts: 493
    #5
    herdizziness said:

    Average human have

    From 0 to 2.5 Smokers usually can go up to 5.  And people without cancer can also have high ranges on occasion. Forme the one occasion I was NED a couple of years ago was a 5.

    Winter Marie

    winter marie

    greetings there winter marie

    thanks for your post.

    are you still on treatments?  

    sorry, i haven't been on here in awhile, and was curious as to what you're up to and what's happening with you.

    hugs

    joe

    p.s. my chemo brain and all the names here and on the FB sites, gets me confused sometimes. I need to make a chart of everyones battles... but that would be too detailed.

  • Hooley
    Hooley Member Posts: 156
    #6
    thxmiker said:

    One's CEA not going up and

    One's CEA not going up and under a predetermined number is considered NEA.     Woo Hoo for you!  The CEA is not the only number to be determinate of one's cancer.  

     

    Many have had NED status and yet have cancer.  (Sorry to rain on one's parade.)  Take life every day as a special gift.  Return that gift to every one you meet.  That is the real meaning of life!  When we can infleuence people in the positvie and make a real difference in people's life, that is the menaing of life.  Everything else, is not necessarily memorable.  Live life like it means a difference to everyone you meet. Then Life was memeorable and meaningful. 

     

    OK, I am off the soap box.

    Best Always,  mike

     

    PS I have been diagnose twice as NED.  I still choose to live my life to help others.  NED should be more of a state of mine and being then a diagnosis from a doctor.   I met a person that we had Chemo together many times.  He said he is positive and that Chemo did not do well for him. He got rid of Colon Cancer and now has 44% leukemia. What a trade off!  At the same time he was enjoying life.  I am in a similar posistion, I lessened my cancer, yet it is still there. Bottom line: Enjoy and Live life!  We do not know how long we are going to be here and how many we can infleuence. 

     

    Nice

    What a beautiful post.   Very sincere and so so true

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #7
    CEA doesnt work for everyone.

    CEA doesnt work for everyone. I am in the 10% minority where it is not an indicator. My CEA has never been above 1.2 even when there were known tumors in me.

  • hippiechicks
    hippiechicks Member Posts: 509 Member
    #8
    janderson1964 said:

    CEA doesnt work for everyone.

    CEA doesnt work for everyone. I am in the 10% minority where it is not an indicator. My CEA has never been above 1.2 even when there were known tumors in me.

    Ditto ... never had been over

    Ditto ... never had been over 1 and have had huge tumors.  NED comes from multiple tests and scans ... and means No Evidence of Disease .. not that there IS no disease .. sometimes it lurks and hides. Frown

  • PatchAdams
    PatchAdams Member Posts: 271
    #9
    NED and CEA

    Laz,  Labcorp  has a high normal of 3.9 ng/mL for non smokers.  I've never heard anyone, in five years, say they had a CEA of zero.  

    I read a study where CEA's were done on non cancer patients over the age of 60, 70 and 80.  All the non cancer patients had higher than expected CEA's.  The older they were, the higher the readings.  The study said some patients with the highest readings were found to have anything from arthritis to skin conditions,  lung problems, etc.   I'm sorry, I didn't save that actual info but here's a statement from another study I'd saved in an email. 

     

    Most normal persons have detectable concentrations of circulating CEA. Approximately 85% of adults have CEA levels less than 2.5 ng/mL, while 95% have levels less than 5.0 ng/mL. CEA levels are slightly higher in men than women. The median level is 3.4 ng/mL in men and 2.5 ug/mL in women. Healthy persons seldom have levels above 10 ng/mL.

     

  • danker
    danker Member Posts: 1,276 Member
    #10
    joemetz said:

    mike - great post

    hi Mike

    I was learking around here this morning, and came across your post.... and your LIVE LIFE message.

    thank you thank you thank you.

    I really needed that today.

    I've been having a bit of a personal struggle with my emotions, my faith and everything going on. I am unable to work as much as I used to, or as much as i would like to. The last three months of treatments have "changed me" physically and emotionally. yet, i did get some good news this week as I am not NED (i never will be), yet I am NPD. (No Progression of Disease).

    this battle can be so hard, yet good words and good works can help us fulfill why we are hear.

    i keep reminding myself... everyone dies. we just happen to know we most likely are going to die, much much sooner than others around us and we take these poisenous drugs to buy us to the next PET or CT scan... for me, I am living 3 months at a time.

    and, my challenge is to change my stinking-thinking around so I'm not in this pitty party about it... and to do as you say, and redirect my attention to help others, positively affect others and to enjoy every day. instead, as of late... i find myself stuck in worry and I also find myself wanting to get "everything in order" for when that time comes so no one else has to ever worry about the details of all that stuff like a funeral, burial etc.

     

    anyway... thank you!

     

    Joe

    joemetz

    You are way to young to be thinking of dying. At 81, I can do that, but not you.  Just take it a day at a time and hope for the best.  

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #11
    PatchAdams said:

    NED and CEA

    Laz,  Labcorp  has a high normal of 3.9 ng/mL for non smokers.  I've never heard anyone, in five years, say they had a CEA of zero.  

    I read a study where CEA's were done on non cancer patients over the age of 60, 70 and 80.  All the non cancer patients had higher than expected CEA's.  The older they were, the higher the readings.  The study said some patients with the highest readings were found to have anything from arthritis to skin conditions,  lung problems, etc.   I'm sorry, I didn't save that actual info but here's a statement from another study I'd saved in an email. 

     

    Most normal persons have detectable concentrations of circulating CEA. Approximately 85% of adults have CEA levels less than 2.5 ng/mL, while 95% have levels less than 5.0 ng/mL. CEA levels are slightly higher in men than women. The median level is 3.4 ng/mL in men and 2.5 ug/mL in women. Healthy persons seldom have levels above 10 ng/mL.

     

    My Rick was that "one" you

    My Rick was that "one" you mentioned - his CEA was ALWAYS .05.  So, obviously, his CEA wasn't a marker for tumors.  

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #12
    joemetz said:

    winter marie

    greetings there winter marie

    thanks for your post.

    are you still on treatments?  

    sorry, i haven't been on here in awhile, and was curious as to what you're up to and what's happening with you.

    hugs

    joe

    p.s. my chemo brain and all the names here and on the FB sites, gets me confused sometimes. I need to make a chart of everyones battles... but that would be too detailed.

    Hey Joe

    Hey Joe, I have been off treatment since sometime in April, for my liver surgery and then during colonoscopy a tumor was discovered in my sigmoid colon, so have been waiting on date with surgeon to get rid of that before going back on treatment.  Finally ha ve an appointment with him on the 28th.

    Glad to hear you have no progression!  I think Phil has been that way for many years.

    Winter Marie

  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    #13
    alas laz

    ned is a false goal, love your life now. it takes one tumour initiating cell to make a cell, every met starts as one or more cells, often surrounded by platlets to hide from our immune system. 

    if you want to be really sure do a ctc test, or the macropage malignancy test, that looks at the protiens remnant inside.

    i was ned for 4 months , it was wonderful having my head in the sand, cancer comes back and kicks but but, even if you dont have one.

    an ounce of prevention. your health and immune system your best defense. chemo is a false security, that no security at all.

    the ketogenic diet is working well, with lifestyle love and meditation the pillars of my remission plan.

    for details

    http://www.colonchat.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1130&p=3678#p3678

    its a really great question, i asked something close back in january when i was ned, i am almost ned.

    hugs,

    pete

Discussion Boards