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← Return to CA 19-9 after two rounds of chemo
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CA 19-9 after two rounds of chemo
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (7)Comment receiving replies
It is good news, because 1) there are a log of cases where CA19-9 actually goes up for a while after initiating chemo; and 2) That's a 16% decrease after "only" two treatments -- pretty good sign of a positive response.
Abraxane + Gemzar (plus Cisplatin for most of the period) has kept my stage-4 PDAC recurrence under reasonably good control for 23 months, with average CA19-9 under 200.
The worst episode was a 4-month break from chemo for a clinical trial, after which my CA19-9 peaked at 2315 and all the tumors being watched increased in size. Upon resuming biweekly chemo in July, it's back under 150. I'll find out this Friday if scans return similarly encouraging results. 🙂
Good luck, and hang in there!
Replies to "It is good news, because 1) there are a log of cases where CA19-9 actually goes..."
Good luck with your scans
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Hi @markymarkfl, very encouraging!! You mention biweekly chemo, is that Gemcitabene/Abraxane given every 2nd week? I am on Gem/Abrax given every week for 3 weeks then 1 week off and it is bringing my CA19-9 down (from 195 now 78) so I am encouraged! But in my 2nd cycle, after the 2nd infusion, I had fever and my ALT spiked to 519. No infection, just a reaction to chemo, white blood count all good. My oncologist cancelled my third infusion to give me a chance to recover, bloodwork showed ALT came back down to 98. So I'm wondering whether Gem/Abrax every 2 weeks might be a different protocol that I could follow, is that what you're on? Thank you!!