one year since my surgery

Moesimo
Moesimo Member Posts: 1,072 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I had surgery one year ago for stage 3 rectal cancer - 2 out of 12 nodes positve. A cat scan last week shows NED, but my CEA went from 0.8 to 1.6 in the last 3 months. Should I be concerned? My onc. will order a pet scan, but she doesn't think the insurance company will want to pay. My CEA will be repeated in 1 month.

Comments

  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #2
    I feel that CEA results are variable, and may or may
    not be indicative of tumor activity; I'm sure you will get more definitive answers to your post than this, but my Onc seems to think that a rise in CEA warrants some kind of scan. CT and PET see different things, and I'm not clear what the difference is between CT and PET, other than the
    size they are able to detect, but I'm sure you will receive some more specific information from
    other semi-colons who have been there. Bud
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #3
    Subject: CEA
    Message: I feel that CEA results are variable, and may or may
    not be indicative of tumor activity; I'm sure you will get more definitive answers to your post than this, but my Onc seems to think that a rise in CEA warrants some kind of scan. CT and PET see different things, and I'm not clear what the difference is between CT and PET, other than the
    size they are able to detect, but I'm sure you will receive some more specific information from
    other semi-colons who have been there. Bud
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #4
    Hi Moesimo,
    I wouldn't worry too much ,Iwas st 3 colon 6of 13 nodes positive ,my initial cea was only 2,8 and after chemo and surgery it settled to around 1.2. At one stage it went up to 1.8 and I was worried but I read up on cea and found it can be elevated by several things including smoking and ulcers. I don't smoke and in my case it turned out to be ulcerative duodenitis. Nearly 7 years later and I consistently register cea around 0.8. Good luck will be thinking of you cheers Ron.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #5
    It will be one year for Bert as well next month since he had surgery for stage III, four nodes, right colon cancer. His CEA was never tested before surgery so we have no idea if anything ever showed or not. It was tested after and remained consistent at 0.9 until December of 2003 when it went up ro 2.2. In January 2004 it rose to 5.5 and is now hanging around 9.0!!! He has had every test possible including scans every 8 weeks, PET, CT, MRI, colonoscopy, etc. and nothing!!! Although worrisome, all reports indicate NED and I've decided, so has he, that unless the oncologist says its time to worry, I'm gonna try real hard not to. Bert is also a type II diabetic and it is possible that this could effect CEA...he doesn't smoke either.

    Take care.

    Monika

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