CA-125 at 37.5 after Surgery
Hello there,
I am Naval. My husband has been posting and asking details about my Ca all this while. Its a month since my Surgery and I have gathered the courage only now to come onto this Forum and talk about my Ca. My husband is always in so much praise about this Forum. Thanks all of you for your advices and opinions. It helped me a lot.
My CA-125 before Surgery was 550 odd and I was in Stage 3C and after a month when I got it tested yesterday, it came to 37.5. What does it mean? I have to go in for my Chemo by Friday. Should I go for Chemo? Is it required? Can I do without it? Or should I wait a while and see if it goes down further.
I am really confused and am not able to decide what to do. If I ask my Onco, he is definitely going to say you need to go for it but you all will be giving a more honest opinion and if any of you can check with your Oncos there that would also be great.
i ofcourse am following a very strict diet regimen and taking some Ayurvedic medicines and doing regular breathing exercises.
Awaiting your responses as will decide accordingly.
lots of Love
Naval
Comments
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37.5 is a great number!
So glad to hear that you have responded well to treatment. I think everyone will agree that it is standard to do 6-8 rounds of taxol/carbo for first line treatment. My ca125 went down to 4 after 4 treatments and sugery, but I still did the last 4 treatments. It didn't stop the cancer from recurring 2 years later, but I do believe it gave me those 2 years of remission. The problem is the microscopic cancer cells that come back to get us later. I suppose getting the full treatment protocol gives us a better chance of getting to those.
Wishing you all the best,
Susan
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Lucky you!
I agree with Susan, 37.5 is a great number! Wish it were mine. As it happens, I asked almost the question you seem to be asking of my own surgeon the last time I saw him. Then, my CA 125 was at 74. Because of the rate of its descent, he & I were both projecting it might be in the normal range the next time it was measured (which was 2 wks ago). I asked him, would I continue with chemo even if my CA 125 was in the normal range? Yes, he said. As Susan describes, apparently the professional consensus is that the patient should complete the standard course of treatment.
Instead, my CA 125 was NOT yet normal when it was measured 2 wks ago. It only descended to 52. Again I'm hoping that after my next chemo (a wk from today) it will be normal.
But: you must know that a CA 125 in the normal range doesn't mean you're home free. I've been on chemo almost continuously since my cancer diagnosis 2 yrs ago next week. My CA 125 has been in the normal range at least twice, as I recall, and even if I get to a normal CA 125 soon I'll know it will most likely be only temporary.
Congratulations on being brave enough to comment and ask questions here. Everyone wants to help and is eager to share! Good luck.
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37.5seatown said:Lucky you!
I agree with Susan, 37.5 is a great number! Wish it were mine. As it happens, I asked almost the question you seem to be asking of my own surgeon the last time I saw him. Then, my CA 125 was at 74. Because of the rate of its descent, he & I were both projecting it might be in the normal range the next time it was measured (which was 2 wks ago). I asked him, would I continue with chemo even if my CA 125 was in the normal range? Yes, he said. As Susan describes, apparently the professional consensus is that the patient should complete the standard course of treatment.
Instead, my CA 125 was NOT yet normal when it was measured 2 wks ago. It only descended to 52. Again I'm hoping that after my next chemo (a wk from today) it will be normal.
But: you must know that a CA 125 in the normal range doesn't mean you're home free. I've been on chemo almost continuously since my cancer diagnosis 2 yrs ago next week. My CA 125 has been in the normal range at least twice, as I recall, and even if I get to a normal CA 125 soon I'll know it will most likely be only temporary.
Congratulations on being brave enough to comment and ask questions here. Everyone wants to help and is eager to share! Good luck.
Hi Nala - good to meet you I believe it is customary to takemore chemo after surgery - I did! thinkof the debulkibg surgery as this: kind of like cutting something out of a piece of paper with scissors following a solid,black line - even being careful you will probably leave a tiny bit of the black line " cancer cells" - even though they are as cautious & careful as they can be - the docs cannot get 100% of the cells always.
it is important to remember that the CA 125 numbers are only a vague guideline for the docs & many things can affect the readings - the exact number is seldom as important as the trend pattern and a guideline for the doc if the trend during chemo is dropping - it is telling the docs that the chemo is working
& you are favorably respondingone thingf I've noticedrfrombeing on this board is OV CA treatment follows a guideline protocol. we have all Had about the same number of treatments withpretty much the same drug
I KNow how horrid chemo can be - but figure a little more of feelingsickck was worth it to kill as much cancer as possible.
Just my opinioin & take on it - do your research and see what some of the others have to say
Susan P from Alberta Canada & WY & TX USA
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Welcome to CSN Naval
It is obviously your life and your decision, but I hope you decide in favour of complete treatment. If someone is telling you that diet and healthy lifestyle is an alternative cure for ovarian cancer, they either don't understand how this disease works or they have an ulterior motive. If even a few microscopic cancer cells are left after surgery, without chemo they will start growing and soon enough you will be where you started.
6 to 8 rounds of Carboplatin / Taxol (every 3 weeks) is the standard regimen after debulking surgery. You husband mentioned dense dose chemo (every week). It is unpleasant, but doable; every woman on this board did it and many went into long remissions. I don't know anyone in stage 3C or 4 who refused initial chemo and lived to tell about it.
Don't be scared Naval, chemo infusion itself is not painful. With the help of anti-nausea drugs and steroids most likely you would not feel bad. You should run your Ayurvedic medicines by your oncologist, because some drugs may be contraindicated with chemo. Try to drink a lot of water, get plenty of rest and do some walking / light exercise to combat fatigue. No one is happy to lose their hair, but believe me it's not the end of the world; by next summer you will have a full head of hair again.
Best wishes and lots of love to you and your husband,
Alexandra
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ThanksAlexandra said:Welcome to CSN Naval
It is obviously your life and your decision, but I hope you decide in favour of complete treatment. If someone is telling you that diet and healthy lifestyle is an alternative cure for ovarian cancer, they either don't understand how this disease works or they have an ulterior motive. If even a few microscopic cancer cells are left after surgery, without chemo they will start growing and soon enough you will be where you started.
6 to 8 rounds of Carboplatin / Taxol (every 3 weeks) is the standard regimen after debulking surgery. You husband mentioned dense dose chemo (every week). It is unpleasant, but doable; every woman on this board did it and many went into long remissions. I don't know anyone in stage 3C or 4 who refused initial chemo and lived to tell about it.
Don't be scared Naval, chemo infusion itself is not painful. With the help of anti-nausea drugs and steroids most likely you would not feel bad. You should run your Ayurvedic medicines by your oncologist, because some drugs may be contraindicated with chemo. Try to drink a lot of water, get plenty of rest and do some walking / light exercise to combat fatigue. No one is happy to lose their hair, but believe me it's not the end of the world; by next summer you will have a full head of hair again.
Best wishes and lots of love to you and your husband,
Alexandra
Thanks for your valuable opinions. Seems I will go for it as you all are suggesting.
The only thought that was coming to mind was that they say many Ca develop cos of Chemo and that is the reason it keeps coming back. Otherwise why the recurrence in most of the cases??? You would say its cos some cells somewhere could not be killed but that cannot happen in all cases. And docs also agree that Chemo does induce the fear of other cancers as it's side effects.
its very confusing if you think about it. But what to do.
love
Naval
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Hi NavalNaval said:Thanks
Thanks for your valuable opinions. Seems I will go for it as you all are suggesting.
The only thought that was coming to mind was that they say many Ca develop cos of Chemo and that is the reason it keeps coming back. Otherwise why the recurrence in most of the cases??? You would say its cos some cells somewhere could not be killed but that cannot happen in all cases. And docs also agree that Chemo does induce the fear of other cancers as it's side effects.
its very confusing if you think about it. But what to do.
love
Naval
We can understand how scared and confused you are feeling these days. There is a lot of information "out there" regarding ovarian cancer and it is sometimes hard to know which information is true and which isn't. The chemo itself does not cause cancer. Chemo is a very useful tool in the fight against cancer. The side effects of chemo do not mean that the cancer is back. The side effects happen because the drugs are very powerful. I believe that the most common side effect is fatigue, which means that you will want to allow yourself plenty of time to rest and let your family take care of you. At the same time, I think most women would also recommend that you still make sure to move around because another common side effect can be constipation. Your oncologist or chemo nurse will be able to tell you about other potential side effects and how to deal with them to be as comfortable as possible.
Please keep us posted when you can, especially as you go through the chemo treatments. Let us know how you are doing.
Wishing the best to you and your husband!
Hugs,
Kelly
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MouthfulAlexandra said:Welcome to CSN Naval
It is obviously your life and your decision, but I hope you decide in favour of complete treatment. If someone is telling you that diet and healthy lifestyle is an alternative cure for ovarian cancer, they either don't understand how this disease works or they have an ulterior motive. If even a few microscopic cancer cells are left after surgery, without chemo they will start growing and soon enough you will be where you started.
6 to 8 rounds of Carboplatin / Taxol (every 3 weeks) is the standard regimen after debulking surgery. You husband mentioned dense dose chemo (every week). It is unpleasant, but doable; every woman on this board did it and many went into long remissions. I don't know anyone in stage 3C or 4 who refused initial chemo and lived to tell about it.
Don't be scared Naval, chemo infusion itself is not painful. With the help of anti-nausea drugs and steroids most likely you would not feel bad. You should run your Ayurvedic medicines by your oncologist, because some drugs may be contraindicated with chemo. Try to drink a lot of water, get plenty of rest and do some walking / light exercise to combat fatigue. No one is happy to lose their hair, but believe me it's not the end of the world; by next summer you will have a full head of hair again.
Best wishes and lots of love to you and your husband,
Alexandra
And Alexandra, I was reading your history of the Ca. It's really sad that your Doc did not detect the Ca in the first instance and did not even think of asking you to do the Tumor markers.
You should go and give that Dr.Hatami a mouthful as cos of him you reached that stage otherwise yours would have been a simpler case and not that much spread.
its all Destiny actually. I was talking to a lady Gyno the other day. She said she was getting scans done every two months to check her health. She runs a Big Clinic here. Even then in one fine scan she found a 3mm cyst which when tested showed to be a tumor and she also had ascites. She was so shocked. Every two months scanning for check and even then she landed with Ca and that too 3rd Stage.
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It sounds like your surgeon
It sounds like your surgeon did a great job in reducing your tumor load. The chemo is to reduce the microscopic load`and hopefully eradicate. The best luck for you on your chemo journey. Remember we are here for you for good and tough days. Kim
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Starting Chemokimberly sue 63 said:It sounds like your surgeon
It sounds like your surgeon did a great job in reducing your tumor load. The chemo is to reduce the microscopic load`and hopefully eradicate. The best luck for you on your chemo journey. Remember we are here for you for good and tough days. Kim
Am going for my Chemo now. Wish me luck. Hope I can kick out all the Ca from my body with this.
Will keep you all posted of my developments.
lots of Love to you all.
Naval
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Hi NavalNaval said:Finished
Finished the first double dose yesterday.
Feeling fine till now. Maybe the effects will start from tomorrow.
Just back after seeing a movie now. Feeling fresh.
Glad that you are feeling fine after your first chemo session. The side effects tend to be cumulative, which means that the effects become more pronounced after each session is completed. However, it is also possible that you may be able to get through chemo with minimal side effects. I hope that is the case for you but if not, we are here to provide you with lots of support.
Hugs,
Kelly
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my mom got 3c ovarian
my mom has also got stage3c ovarian cancer and CA125 was 720 and after 3 chemos it became 650..doctor suggested surgery but the ovary could not be removed except only a small part. now the doctor is giving chemo again. please give me some advice so that my mom can also conquer the cancer.0 -
NAVAL AND MADHUTSAmadhutsa said:my mom got 3c ovarian
my mom has also got stage3c ovarian cancer and CA125 was 720 and after 3 chemos it became 650..doctor suggested surgery but the ovary could not be removed except only a small part. now the doctor is giving chemo again. please give me some advice so that my mom can also conquer the cancer.Naval, that's a wonderful drop in CA125! You are on the right track, and I would agree that chemo is advisable. I also applaud your additional approach of eating well and exercising, I believe everything you can do is vital to recovery and the journey itself. I'm so happy you've decided to share with us - we're all in this together, and support is so important. This is a great place to exchange ideas and opinions, but also (((HUGS))) and support. Please keep us up-to-date.
Madhutsa, so sorry to hear your dear mother is going throughy this. Since I don't know all the details, it's hard to give specific advice. But first off I hope she has a gynecologic/oncologist, as they are the best to handle this type of situation. Do you know why they could not remove all of the ovary? And generally they would advise a complete hysterctomy as well. Chemo is often done before surgeries to shrink the tumors to make things easier to remove and minimize the spread of disease. As you can see, there are lots of factors. As far as conquering this disease, it is MORE than possible to do so! You will read many success stories here and receive great support.
Naval and Madhutsa, prayers to you both. Please post when you can.
Monika
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My next sessionmopar said:NAVAL AND MADHUTSA
Naval, that's a wonderful drop in CA125! You are on the right track, and I would agree that chemo is advisable. I also applaud your additional approach of eating well and exercising, I believe everything you can do is vital to recovery and the journey itself. I'm so happy you've decided to share with us - we're all in this together, and support is so important. This is a great place to exchange ideas and opinions, but also (((HUGS))) and support. Please keep us up-to-date.
Madhutsa, so sorry to hear your dear mother is going throughy this. Since I don't know all the details, it's hard to give specific advice. But first off I hope she has a gynecologic/oncologist, as they are the best to handle this type of situation. Do you know why they could not remove all of the ovary? And generally they would advise a complete hysterctomy as well. Chemo is often done before surgeries to shrink the tumors to make things easier to remove and minimize the spread of disease. As you can see, there are lots of factors. As far as conquering this disease, it is MORE than possible to do so! You will read many success stories here and receive great support.
Naval and Madhutsa, prayers to you both. Please post when you can.
Monika
Going for my next session tomorrow. Hope this one also goes smoothly. Thanks to all of you for your support and advice.
Madhutsa, you have come to the right place. You will get the most honest and best advices here and from people who have gone through it all. I found it the best place to share my heart out after I read what everyone had been suggesting all this while to my Husband. But I think you need to give more details of your mothers case for everyone to give their inputs.
A imp. advice for everyone, was suggested by a Doc here, please discard your microwaves. I know it's kind of difficult for you all in the US and Canada but it is said to be one of the causes for Ca. I think we should give it a try.
lots of Love
Naval
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