Should I be worried with a slight CEA increase?

CessnaFlyer
CessnaFlyer Member Posts: 110
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I’ve been getting 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy and my CEA rate has gone from 1.9 on 6/19/09 to 2.1 on 12/03/09. Should I worry? Also, they did a “Cellsearch Circulating Turmor Cells” test which came back “0”. Does this mean there are no cancer cells in my blood?

Comments

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
    CEA
    It's really something that you can get a better answer with by asking your Oncologist. Personally, I would not get too caught up in the CEA numbers. It's not always an accurate test or marker as to one's health. I will say that it does not look like a big difference at all over a roughly 6 month period.
    -p
  • KATE58
    KATE58 Member Posts: 299
    #3
    PhillieG said:

    CEA
    It's really something that you can get a better answer with by asking your Oncologist. Personally, I would not get too caught up in the CEA numbers. It's not always an accurate test or marker as to one's health. I will say that it does not look like a big difference at all over a roughly 6 month period.
    -p

    My doctor does not even take
    My doctor does not even take my cea anymore, it doesn't work on me
    and my doctor says its not a good indicater for some people.
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945
    #4
    that kind of an increase I
    that kind of an increase I would think would be due to normal fluctuation? See, my oncologist wouldn't even do the CEA while I was going through chemo, he said that chemo skews the results and doesn't give an accurate picture when one is going through chemo.
  • beachinmom
    beachinmom Member Posts: 73
    #5
    Patteee said:

    that kind of an increase I
    that kind of an increase I would think would be due to normal fluctuation? See, my oncologist wouldn't even do the CEA while I was going through chemo, he said that chemo skews the results and doesn't give an accurate picture when one is going through chemo.

    NORMAL or maybe a method switch
    I would think that is completly normal. I have been told not to worry about small fluctuations at all, to look at trends.

    Also, this has been discussed on another board and had been noted that two different methods have been used to determine values and some labs have switched recently causing cea numbers to change. Here is a link to the thread.

    http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10772
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #6
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • CessnaFlyer
    CessnaFlyer Member Posts: 110
    #7
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Thanks everyone!!!
    I really appreciate your comments. They were very helpful and will help me to sleep a little easier tonight. I know it's silly worrying about a small increase like this, but I am super on-guard about anything that has to do with the possbility of cancer these days. I'm taking everything much more seriously than I did before I learned about the colon cancer. What a wake up call that was.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #8
    Mine was always low and while doing chemo it did go up slightly. Yours did go up just a slight amount I'd be surprised if the doctor would even make mention of it only because I still believe that is still in the normal range. A lot of factors can bring it up, including chemo. I bet it is stress from the Holidays that did it :) I believe there is no need to worry at all.

    Kim
  • TxKayaker
    TxKayaker Member Posts: 176
    #9
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Mine was always low and while doing chemo it did go up slightly. Yours did go up just a slight amount I'd be surprised if the doctor would even make mention of it only because I still believe that is still in the normal range. A lot of factors can bring it up, including chemo. I bet it is stress from the Holidays that did it :) I believe there is no need to worry at all.

    Kim

    I don't even trust my CEA
    I don't even trust my CEA number my CEA at the time I had my tumor removed last April was 2.1 well within the normal range.
    Mike
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    #10
    cea
    That amount of change can be normal variation- the CEA will rarely be one constant number even if there is no problem. During chemo, with the destruction of some of the cancer cells, the CEA may even rise. Sleep well.

    ****
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    #11
    my question is now answered
    Hi Cessnaflyer,

    You just answered my question here that I asked in your other thread on circulating tumor cells tests. I asked if you also get your CEA tested. So, obviously, the answer is yes.
    I have wondered before & will ask my onc if it would also be of value to have the CTC done in addition to the CEA, as I've never had it tested before.

    Lisa
  • ldot123
    ldot123 Member Posts: 272
    #12
    lisa42 said:

    my question is now answered
    Hi Cessnaflyer,

    You just answered my question here that I asked in your other thread on circulating tumor cells tests. I asked if you also get your CEA tested. So, obviously, the answer is yes.
    I have wondered before & will ask my onc if it would also be of value to have the CTC done in addition to the CEA, as I've never had it tested before.

    Lisa

    Seems OK
    My onc. says anything under 3 or 4 is OK (can't remember which) Mine went up a bit on my last checkup but the doc was unconcerned because it was still low. The number does fluctuate. I don't think CEA was a real indicator for me either as it was never highly elevated and I was a stage 3 guy.

    Cheers, Lance

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