I'm new and have a colonoscopy question

tkj2543
tkj2543 Member Posts: 1
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Have any of you had cancer show up in a colonoscopy after clean scans and a good cea level? 

Comments

  • karguy
    karguy Member Posts: 1,020 Member
    #2
    I have

    I have had 3 different tumors,at 3 different times, but never after a clear scan or good cea level.I think you should get checked again to make sure whats going on.It's better to be sure about what's going on .Good luck.

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #3
    Unlikely.

    Maybe should redo the colonoscopy and have an other radiolologist review your scan.

    Wish you good luck,

    Laz

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #4
    Hi

    I beleive one of our members here recently had a situation where a colon tumor did not show up on the scan but did with the colonoscopy.

    As for CEA, even if in the past it has been a good indicator for you that can change.

    You don't mention your situation, but I you are having problems then continue to do testing until you find the cause.

    If you are just questioning the need for routine or follow-up testing, then you need to remember, a colonoscopy can also find pre-cancerous polups which would not show up on a scan or necessarily impact CEA.

    Marie who loves kitties

  • Hooley
    Hooley Member Posts: 156
    #5
    Yep

    I had an X-ray and ultra sound of abdomen and just showed small fecal build up. Also had fibroid size of grapefruit in uterus.  It was covering the tumor my hip had said, re my blood results. ,......there is nothing sinister in these results. 3 months later with scheduled colonoscopy.  Bingo !    If u don't feel right keep at them!

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #6
    Feelings...

    If you are questioning the colonoscopy or scan, your gut is telling you that something is wrong. Always, always follow your gut feeling. Get a second opinion!!

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #7
     
    Of course it's possible. I

     

    Of course it's possible. I had a couple of adenoma colon polyps (pre-cancerous) that were too small to show up on any scans.  And flat squamous cell carcinoma wouldn’t show up on scans either and would most likely not affect CEA levels at this beginning stage.

    Best wishes

     

  • Coppercent
    Coppercent Member Posts: 158
    #8
    It's possible.

    In May I had a recurrence. Two nodes showed up on both a CT scan and a PET scan. They were very small on the scans and not easily seen. My CEA was unchanged. My oncologist said in his patients it's pretty common for the CEA not to rise in a recurrence.  Since I had to be sliced open my surgeon took a wider look around and found several more nodes that when biopsied were cancer.   A surgeon's eyes and hands are much better then any scan.  So just because a scan or blood test does not pick up the cancer doesn't mean it is not there. A colonoscopy could pick up something a scan would not. 

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #9
    Yes

    in my sigmoid colon there was a tumor that was discovered only by colonoscopy that it still existed (it showed up on first scan last October then disappeared after chemo) on 4 subsequent Ct and/or PET scans this tumor had disappeared. Only by my insistence on a colonoscopy did it show that indeed the tumor was there, they could not get the scope around it because it was so big.  After surgery this August discovered it had my colon blocked by 95%.  My CEA was 3.5 which is excellent for me, so only colonoscopy saved my butt this time. According to my onc., tumors can hide well in the colon and intestinel area quite easily.

    Winter Marie

     

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