CEA Marker Results...help w understanding?

ppm20wife
ppm20wife Member Posts: 44
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm Bacccckkkk....dh's cea marker results came back today.067 (?). Dr. will call later to explain but can anyone help in the meantime? Not sure what that means...dh and I are restless waiting for the call.....thanks again

Comments

  • lesvanb
    lesvanb Member Posts: 905
    #2
    Less than 3.0
    is within normal limits. 0.67 is an awesome number. If you google CEA blood test results you can find info about ranges etc.

    Leslie
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
    That's Very Good...
    Very good indeed! You should both be happy with that one...

    Here are the clinical ranges for CEA markers:

    0-3 Normal for non smokers.

    3-6 Normal for smokers.

    Anything above 6+ is an indication that there is activity. The higher the number the more probabable that cancer is present.

    So, congratulations - 0.67 is worth being very happy about.

    -Craig
  • ppm20wife
    ppm20wife Member Posts: 44
    #4
    Sundanceh said:

    That's Very Good...
    Very good indeed! You should both be happy with that one...

    Here are the clinical ranges for CEA markers:

    0-3 Normal for non smokers.

    3-6 Normal for smokers.

    Anything above 6+ is an indication that there is activity. The higher the number the more probabable that cancer is present.

    So, congratulations - 0.67 is worth being very happy about.

    -Craig

    I still don't get it~
    I must be an idiot! They said he has cancer and he doesn't smoke....ehlp with clarification? I am afraid to get my hopes up....
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #5
    ppm20wife said:

    I still don't get it~
    I must be an idiot! They said he has cancer and he doesn't smoke....ehlp with clarification? I am afraid to get my hopes up....

    OK
    He's a non smoker then, so his range of values would be 0 - 3. And he's currently registering a 0.67, which is less than <1%. That's a good number.

    Your oncologist will have to relate that number to where he is at in is current state.

    You said you are waiting on the phone call, so hopefully he/she will call you soon and better explain what that number means to your husband's specific case.

    But that is a very hopeful number - just try to focus on that until you can speak to the doctor.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #6
    ppm20wife said:

    I still don't get it~
    I must be an idiot! They said he has cancer and he doesn't smoke....ehlp with clarification? I am afraid to get my hopes up....

    CEA
    The CEA is not always a good marker for cancer in some people. It might be normal on blood test but someone could still have cancer.

    Kim
  • ppm20wife
    ppm20wife Member Posts: 44
    #7
    Annabelle41415 said:

    CEA
    The CEA is not always a good marker for cancer in some people. It might be normal on blood test but someone could still have cancer.

    Kim

    I am so so sorry I am not getting this.....
    But they said it was cancer, said they were doing this to find a possible strength - could it be he does not have it? The cat scan, biopsy and the other tests said it was??? DH missed dr's call - the dr left a message he would call tomorrow morning first thing... *sigh* (I often wonder why dh has a cell phone if he is not going to answer it!)
  • nudgie
    nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
    #8
    CEA
    CEA is a blood test marker used to "help" determine if colon cancer can be present in the human body. Since everyone's DNA is different this marker is not always benefical to everyone. In my case, the CEA marker was never tested, so it cannot be determined if this is or is not a good marker to use on me.

    A friend of my who passed away from Stage IV colon cancer had very high CEA levels, which was a good indication for her that cancer was present.

    For cervical cancer they use CA 125 blood test as a marker, which I have also been tested for and has been negative.


    This may help:

    http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_2_3X_Tumor_Markers.asp?sitearea=PED
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #9
    ppm20wife said:

    I am so so sorry I am not getting this.....
    But they said it was cancer, said they were doing this to find a possible strength - could it be he does not have it? The cat scan, biopsy and the other tests said it was??? DH missed dr's call - the dr left a message he would call tomorrow morning first thing... *sigh* (I often wonder why dh has a cell phone if he is not going to answer it!)

    CEA
    My doctor told me CEA is not that great a marker at diagnosis (mine was not elevated at all), but that it's a better indicator (for some people) of recurrence. I hope your hubby gets the next call and finds out exactly where he stands.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • HANRSC
    HANRSC Member Posts: 21
    #10
    Hello from Germany
    There are some good comments but I agree with Nudgie, Tootsie 1, and Annabelle414...after recently undergoing surgery, lung recurrence of a small Tumor, lower lobe of the right lung my CEA reading basically stayed below 2.20...the same range for the last 2 years. One oncologist recently stated, the CEA Marker Reading might only reference the original Tumor and not the Reccurrence Tumor in some people.

    Charles --Gods Love to ALL
  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #11
    HI
    Hi,
    The CEA number is a good marker for some people and not for others. ****'s cea has always been below 2 and he has cc stage 3c. So, they look at scans for him to see how treatment is going.
    I know this is a hard time with so much unknown. The plan will come into place and for us it felt better once things started moving... surgery and chemo.
    Take care.
    Aloha,
    Kathleen

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