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Worried about rising CEA levels
Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: Aug 31 6:47am | Replies (91)Comment receiving replies
I was treated for stage 3a colon cancer with operation followed by 6 mos chemo in 2020. CEA levels were normal after chemo but in the next couple of years rose to 6.3, then 11.4 and now 18. I had another colonoscopy after the first rise and then a catscan, petscan and another catscan. Scans continue to show no problems. I read a research paper that said rise in CEA can proceed detection of recurrence. Any thoughts?
Thank you
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@mcb1368, as you probably already know, CEA levels can mean many things. "Studies suggest that falsely elevated levels may occur in up to 50% of colon cancer patients post treatment leading to unnecessary anxiety and testing." You can read more in this helpful article:
- Understanding The CEA Test in Colon and Gastric Cancer https://news.cancerconnect.com/colon-cancer/understanding-the-cea-test-in-colon-cancer
It looks like your cancer team is being very thorough by not relying on the CEA test alone, but also cheking things with a colonscopy, CT scans and a PET scan. With CEA tests, it can be helpful to watch the trend over time. When do you go for your next follow-up?