Question about CEA levels...please
Hi everyone,
I have a question and hope someone could help me find some awnsers.
In 2023 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, there was no spreading to other organs but she did have 9 involved lymph nodes removed.
My mom had to go trough 6 months of weekly Chemo and is now on chemo pills that she should take for atleast two years (the cancer is hormonal).
Today she went for here monthly bloodwork and the ground was swept from under our feet as the oncologist told my mom she had to have a PET scan based on the fact that there are some inconsistencies regarding the CEA levels,… she said it was just to be sure. At the time the decision was made to suggest the PET scan she only had the bloodwork from December where it was 5,6 ug/L. The results from Monday where CEA levels dropped back down to 4,9 ug/L where not yet available at the time she suggested the PET-scan:
- May 19th 2024 - CEA 3,8 ug/L (non-smoker)
- July 2 2024 - CEA 4,0 ug/L (non-smoker)
- October 28 2024 - CEA 4,9 ug/L (non-smoker)
- December 9 2024 - CEA 5,6 ug/L (non-smoker)
- Januari 20 2025 - CEA 4,9 ug/L (non-smoker)
Do these results indicate that there is more than likely metastasis? Are these results very worying…i’m trying to comfort here but this news really scared here allot.
Is it a good sign that in comparison to december (5,6 ug/L) the markers went down this month to 4,9 ug/L. Or does that mean absolutely nothing?
She does have lots intestinal problems since starting chemo, almost 1 year of daily diarrhoea. Could this be a reason why the CEA is higher than it should or are we just fooling ourselves?
Just a month ago she had a colonoscopy and gastroscopy. Both were ok.
Is this it…is this the moment i’ve been afraid of for all this time that i’m going to lose my mom?
She's been crying the whole time and wish i could take her pain away.
Comments
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@ellentje, tumor markers can rise and fall for a variety of reasons unrelated to cancer progression. I cannot guarantee you that your moms didn't rise because of cancer, but the fact they fell back down again without any therapy, at least to me, tells me they probably didn't rise from cancer spread. While many oncologists monitor tumor markers in metastatic patients, not all of them put a lot of stock in what they mean. For some people they can rise and fall dramatically while their disease is stable. For others, they can stay low while the disease is spreading. And for others, they are a decent measure of what the disease is doing. That said, I don't know any oncologists who base treatment plan on tumor markers alone. They use them as possible indicators that the disease is doing something, but if they can't corroborate it with either imagine (PET Scan in this case) or symptoms (as reported by the patient), they just keep monitoring them until there is some corroboration.
I know it's easier said than done, but best not to worry until you know you have a reason.
Also, inflammation, like from chronic bowel issues, are one cause of increased tumor markers unrelated to cancer growth.
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bighubs covered it quite well. My medical practice doesn’t do tumor markers at all, and as bighubs mentioned, there is a great difference of opinion regarding their usefulness. So, in and of themselves, they may only indicate a need for further assessment such as imaging. Take care
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