CEA results tripled in 6 months

Posted by alicefive @alicefive, May 25 10:43am

I had stage 2 colon cancer 4 years ago. I had a section of my colon removed and did not need any chemotherapy. The tumor had not breached my colon and 42 lymph nodes were clear. I have the CEA blood test every six months. It was 3 (which was average for all the tests) 6 months ago. I just had it done a few days ago and it rose to 10.9. I see my oncologist next week but I am worried. I have had no symptoms. The only thing that has changed is about two months ago I started taping off oxycodone and morphine ER after 20 years for chronic pain I was able to taper very quickly with no withdrawal symptoms. I am doing it under the guidance of a doctor.

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | May 25 12:12pm

@alicefive, I can imagine that you are worried. Any lab value that triples is a concern. As you know, monitoring carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can be useful in monitoring for possible recurrence. However, one test with an abnormal result does not prove that the cancer has returned. Further testing is required.

Yeah, right. Easy to say, but the worry is still there. I get it.

Here's some information from Mayo Clinic Laboratories that may help put your mind slightly at ease until you are able to repeat the CEA test.
- Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), Serum https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/overview/8521

1. "Single values of CEA are less informative than changes assessed over time." This means that the test you had could be an outlier. Your doctor will likely order a second test to confirm.
2. "Carcinoembryonic antigen values are method-dependent; therefore, the same method should be used to serially monitor patients." Was the test done at the same lab, done the same way?
3. "Do not interpret serum CEA levels as absolute evidence of the presence or the absence of malignant disease. Use serum CEA in conjunction with information from the clinical evaluation of the patient and other diagnostic procedures." Further testing is necessary.
4. CEA is not exclusively specific to cancer. Non-cancerous conditions such as inflammation, cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, and heavy smoking can also cause temporary elevations.

Alice, waiting is hard. When do you meet with your doctor to discuss the results of the test?

alicefive | @alicefive | May 25 11:04pm

In reply to @colleenyoung "@alicefive, I can imagine that you are worried. Any lab value that triples is a concern...." + (show)

@colleenyoung I go to my oncologist on May 27. I’m hoping it is just a fluke. I normally go to the hospital for my blood draws but I went to a location that is owned by the hospital and I’ve gotten other blood Tests there before. I think my doctor is going to take A wait-and-see approach and have me get the test again in a month to three months. What concerning about the higher number is when I had active cancer and they checked my CEA level before my surgery it was 16.8. 10.9 is not that much lower than my act of cancer. And it’s been four years of low CEA levels. Hopefully it is just raised for some other condition like inflammation or pancreatitis. I have had multiple episodes of pancreatitis before as I have a genetic hyper triglyceride condition that causes pancreatitis. I thought that maybe about a week ago I had a touch of it, sometimes it’s worse than others. I will update when I talk to my doctor. Thank you so much for the response. It does make me feel more hopeful.

nycmusic | @nycmusic | May 26 8:51am

Tell your doc every detail of your health, as many things affect CEA #s. Good luck !

alicefive | @alicefive | May 26 10:39am

In reply to @nycmusic "Tell your doc every detail of your health, as many things affect CEA #s. Good luck..." + (show)

@nycmusic I am wondering if I may have an ulcer. I wake up most mornings with pain in my stomach which goes away after I eat something. I am wondering if I have had this for a while and the heavy dose of pain medication I was on was masking it. I am on less than half the dose of medication now and that is when I started noticing it. I appreciate you reading and commenting on my situation.

alicefive | @alicefive | May 26 10:42am

In reply to @colleenyoung "@alicefive, I can imagine that you are worried. Any lab value that triples is a concern...." + (show)

@colleenyoung I am sorry, I just noticed the question about the lab. I have always gotten it done at the hospital that my oncologist is located at. This time I went to a different satellite location, but it’s the same lab run by the hospital. I don’t know if they go to different separate labs depending on location, but that is something to think about.

nycmusic | @nycmusic | May 26 11:23am

In reply to @alicefive "@nycmusic I am wondering if I may have an ulcer. I wake up most mornings with..." + (show)

@alicefive It could be several things, best to get doctors’ input…knowing beats guessing….hope you find out and get successful treatment —sooner then later. Good luck !

george544 | @george544 | May 27 8:46am

Thinking of you. My husband had some real outliers in his blood work a week ago and everyone scrambled.

We had the home health nurse redo the tests and everything was back to normal.

Patterns. That’s what matters, right? Not a since number.

All the best with the visit. Takes a lot of courage to get yourself to that appointment. You’re strong.

alicefive | @alicefive | May 27 8:00pm

I went to the oncologist today and he said he is concerned they are sending me for an urgent PET scan and we’ll go from there. I will update when I find out something.. Thanks to everyone that read and commented.