Hey Craig............CEA rise?

papajedi
papajedi Member Posts: 110
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
you said...................as the cancer cells die off, they emit a protein in the blood which can be picked up on the CEA test.

can you give me some info

Comments

  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #2
    Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
    (repost from previous thread)

    What conditions can cause an elevated CEA?

    Both benign and malignant (harmless and cancerous) conditions can
    increase the CEA level. The most frequent cancer which causes an
    increased CEA is cancer of the colon and rectum. Others include
    cancers of the pancreas, stomach, breast, lung, and certain types
    of thyroid and ovarian cancer. Benign conditions which can
    elevate CEA include smoking, infections, inflammatory bowel
    disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and some benign
    tumors in the same organs in which an elevated CEA indicates
    cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause a temporary
    rise in CEA due to the death of tumor cells and release of CEA
    into the blood stream.     Benign disease does not usually cause an
    increase above 10 ng/ml.

    From here: www.medicinenet.com


    CEA and other markers

    Keep in mind, that these tests don't mean much without a full and
    comprehensive review of all symptoms and health situations.

    "The last thing a hypochondriac needs, is a medical journal".
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
    CEA
    Hi Papa

    Looks like John covered the X's and O's of it.

    But yes, as cells die they can emit a protein (don't know the name) and CEA levels can rise as a result.

    Some fluctuation in the CEA level could be higher than a previous one as a result. Other times during chemo, I saw mine go down slightly.

    As long as they are not ramping up with very high numbers, it is probably a part of the chemo cycle and cell death.

    Always good to keep an eye on - for some folks CEA has been a good marker...I felt it was for me.

    Hope this helps - thanks for your question.

    -Craig

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