CEA levels

Woodytele
Woodytele Member Posts: 163
edited May 2017 in Colorectal Cancer #1

just a quick question for y'all. 

 

Im on my 8 th infusion, when I started, my CEA was 1,600. It's now 75.  What kind of reduction did you get during treatment.  Mine has been steadily been cut in half each infusion, did others experience this?? 

 

thx!! 

Comments

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    Wow, that sound great! Mine

    Wow, that sound great! Mine never changed when I had cancer the first time and has now only gone up to 5.7 now that I have mets. In my cae it wasn't very accurate.

    Jan

  • Woodytele
    Woodytele Member Posts: 163
    edited May 2017 #3
    JanJan63 said:

    Wow, that sound great! Mine

    Wow, that sound great! Mine never changed when I had cancer the first time and has now only gone up to 5.7 now that I have mets. In my cae it wasn't very accurate.

    Jan

    Thanks Jan jan

    appreciate the response, thx! 

  • RetiredNellie
    RetiredNellie Member Posts: 14
    Hello.  Mine also never

    Hello.  Mine also never changed before, during or after my colon cancer journey and remained in the normal range.  My oncologist still runs the blood test for CEA every 3 months but admits it's probably not a good indicator for me.  However, during my research I discovered that for those that it is a good indicator for, it's a good tool for knowing your status.  I think it's good news that your number is significantly decreasing but just my opinion.  Good luck with your journey!

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,427 Member
    Mine went Up

    Different scale  was about 8.2 before surgery, went down to 3.7, the climbed druing chemo until 8.8.  Dropped down to high 3s when done with chemo.  But then climbed to mid 5s as my met started growing.

  • Joan M
    Joan M Member Posts: 409 Member
    My CEA started around 15

    My CEA started around 15 March 2016 and went down steadily with the treatments. It stayed at about 5 for quite a while, but it is down to 2.8!   

  • Woodytele
    Woodytele Member Posts: 163
    Joan M said:

    My CEA started around 15

    My CEA started around 15 March 2016 and went down steadily with the treatments. It stayed at about 5 for quite a while, but it is down to 2.8!   

    Thank you for the reply

    its awesome to hear positive news like that, good for you!!  thanks for the feedback. 

  • thingy45
    thingy45 Member Posts: 632 Member
    edited May 2017 #8
    CEA good indicater for me

    i started at CEA level of 18 and stage 4, after left Hemi, down grated  to stage 3. CEA remains around 1.1. After 6 years I'm still Ned. 

  • Woodytele
    Woodytele Member Posts: 163
    thingy45 said:

    CEA good indicater for me

    i started at CEA level of 18 and stage 4, after left Hemi, down grated  to stage 3. CEA remains around 1.1. After 6 years I'm still Ned. 

    Thanks

    thanks Thingy45, it is great to hear stories like that, you must be walking on air everyday. I hope to have a similar expeience, I'm down to a CEA of 54 right now on my 8 th infusion of Folfox. 

  • thirdtimesacharm
    thirdtimesacharm Member Posts: 2
    CEA 25 and Colvera

    Hey ya'll, I'm new to this page. My mother is a three time breast cancer survivor and has now been diagnosed with colon cancer. However,after speaking with her onocologist Monday, he feelst that since her CEA level is 25 and the tumor was invasive adenocarcinoma that it has now spread to her blood. He presented all the findings to the board and they decided to run a new blood test called Colvera along with another CEA. They are telling her that if the Colvera is even a 1 that she has blood cancer and they will not be able to save her.

    So, my question is...have any of you had this blood test done? Is a consistant CEA of 25 (twice, now waiting on the third) a sure sign of cancer? I have read that sometimes CEA is elevated because of inflammation, smoking and other sources.

    Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. As we should know the outcome Monday, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around the what if's. She is only 62 and faced Stage 4 breast cancer at 39, then stage 2 DCIS at 58, then again at 61. Last year in January she had a double mastectomy and her CEA level was a 4. They ran it this past February and it was 25, they waited a week and did it again and there was no change. So they did a colonoscopy and found a 4cm tumor in the upper colon and a 3 cm in the lower by the rectum. The surgeon was confident he got it all. And we don't know why they think she's basically dying and telling her this. We haven't even recieved the last blood test back yet. It could be 0...so frustrating.

    Thanks.

  • EissetB
    EissetB Member Posts: 133
    Mine is 6.4 and I don't know

    Mine is 6.4 and I don't know how to read it. What is 6.4? Is it bad?

  • jaybel
    jaybel Member Posts: 11
    CEA Levels

    Hi,

    I posted here before regarding CEA levels and now I am back again.  My CEA was 1.5 the day of my surgery which was 9/26/16.  I was stage 1 with a T2 tumor with 27 lymph nodes removed with no cancer.   I have been getting follow up blood tests and in March I had a CT scan which was clear.  My concern is:  My CEA was <.3 after sugery and then it went to .5, .6 and now .7  This really concernes me.  I know its within normal range but it really is causing me stress that it is upward instead of down and up or just stable.  I was told I could go get my colonoscopy now instead of waiting the full year but has anyone else had these numbers with stage 1?  its been 8 months since my surgery.  Any advice is appreciated!!  Bless everyone on these discussion boards!  

  • Rider56
    Rider56 Member Posts: 3
    Yes, I am having the same

    Yes, I am having the same experience.  I started with 1200 four months ago and now at 32. I have no symptoms now, I feel great. Not going to be cured but hope to keep it manageable. My oncology office seems to think its very positive. I'm glad you are also having this result, cause I've been wondering about this too. All best wishes to you.

  • Woodytele
    Woodytele Member Posts: 163
    edited May 2017 #14
    Rider56 said:

    Yes, I am having the same

    Yes, I am having the same experience.  I started with 1200 four months ago and now at 32. I have no symptoms now, I feel great. Not going to be cured but hope to keep it manageable. My oncology office seems to think its very positive. I'm glad you are also having this result, cause I've been wondering about this too. All best wishes to you.

    Thanks rider!

    Appreciate the response, good to have another warrior out there n the same boat,  keep it up. 

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,280 Member
    edited May 2017 #15
    Just to throw my numbers into

    Just to throw my numbers into the thread, I was just under 15 before my last surgery, Sep. 5, 2014.  Since then it's been 1.8 to 2.6 and as of 5/15/17 sits at 2.2, also my highest ever before the first liver mets surgery was 44+. If it works for someone, the CEA is more of an indicator by it's movement than it's specific value, and going up a tenth at a time seems to me to be a very slow progression........................................Dave