CA-125 Questions

3750lsd
3750lsd Member Posts: 7
edited November 2015 in Ovarian Cancer #1

Hoping somebody can help me decipher what the doctors are telling me about CA-125. What I'm hearing seems really contradictory.

I am 2 years into this and had a 10 month NED period before a recurrence in November, 2014.

CA-125 was always an excellent measure for me.

  • Was 207 before first surgery
  • After first chemo, was in normal range immediately and stayed there.
  • Baseline when NED was 6-7.

I'm now in 4th line treatment.

What I don't understand is that a consulting doctor told me that we don't treat to a CA-125 number. And yet, increasing numbers have led my primary oncologist to order CTs and PETs which showed disease progression.So clearly it's an important number.

This year:

  • We terminated Carbo/Doxil when number increased for 3 months, CA-125 hit 37, and scans showed progression.
  • We terminated Taxol/Avastin when had increases for 2 months, CA-125 hit 127, and scans showed progression.

 

Now I've just started a trial of Niraparib and my CA-125 via a different lab at my new hospital showed 274 and then 752 during the waiting period before I started the trial. But I still have low volume disease.

My Questions:

  • The doctors keep saying I'm too fixated on the number but why would they say it's not important if it's always been a great indicator for me?
  • Why would they not be concerned thati I'm having these crazy escalations? Are they just trying to keep me calm?
  • Is it out of the realm of possibility that I could ever be NED again?

I just don't believe that I'm getting the real story.

Sorry for the long message but can anybody help me figure this out? 

Thanks a ton!

 

 

 

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