Question 1

my cea test was a 3. what should i do? i had colon cancer in 1997?

Accepted Answer

CEA of 3: is in normal range. IF you have been getting regular checkups yearly and colonoscopies, you don't need to do anything more. Just follow the recommendations for your follow ups and colonoscopies provided by your Oncologist/Colorectal surgeon/gastroenterologist.

Question 2

what do you suggest if my cea test was a 3. should i do something else . i had colon cancer in 1997?

Accepted Answer

Chill: Three is normal, my friend. Colon cancer would be unlikely to relapse after 15 years plus. Of course, you could develop another colon cancer so you need to keep your follow ups with your oncologist and get your colonoscopies religiously. Live healthy and if you smoke, quit (that will increase the CEA, by the way).

Question 3

my brother is recovering from colon cancer of 2 years ago. his cea count has gone from 5.2 to 9.7 to 19.8 in the last 6months. is there a likelihood that cancer is back?

Accepted Answer

High: This is a very concerning result. If there is no obvious non-cancerous cause, recurrence is likely.

Question 4

disease progression despite the drop in cea - is this possible ? met colon cancer

Accepted Answer

Need more details: As you have been informed earlier, a single value of CEA is not totally reliable. We need 2-3 serial values before changing treatment on the assumption that the tumor has progressed. Then of course it depends on how progression is defined....it is usually a vary variable degree of change?increase in tumor size. Sometimes it is better to stick with same treatment unless  there is clear(&gt;50%)increas

Question 5

could use your help docs! my cea test was a 3. should i do something else? i had colon cancer in 1997?

Accepted Answer

First i would: Repeat the cea, if higher need to discuss with your oncologist or a colorectal surgeon or GI doctor to begin workup of recurrent colon cancer. Cea of 3 is not abnormal. You should have been getting colonoscopies regularly since your original diagnosis. Pet/ct scans may be necessary. But if CEA is 3 on repeat i would not be concerned. Just stay on 5year colonoscopy schedule.

Question 6

61y old,stage2b colon cancer,low cea preop,how can we evaluate the response to chemo?

Accepted Answer

Don't "evaluate": We may hope the cancer has been removed fully. The chemotherapy increases your odds of living longer / better, but there is no way to know for certain what will happen, and no good way to "guess". Best wishes.

Question 7

colon cancer stage 3b but after surgery cea level dropped from 13 to 1.8 what does it mean?

Accepted Answer

Tumor markers: Cea  is a tumor marker it does not occur with all colon cancers but the fact that it dropped so abruptly is a positive sign. The marker has the ability to be used to monitor for recurrence. This does by no means indicates you are done. There are a number of treatments for colon cancer and you should recruit the serviceces of a board certified medical oncologist for an opinion on tx options.

Question 8

can 1 drop in cea at round 2 of chemotherapy suggest anything . drop from
65 to 55. ? metastic colon cancer pt

Accepted Answer

Cea levels : Oncologist use CEA markers to assess the success in cancer chemotherapy regimens. A drop in CEA after chemotherapy is a positive sign. This means the chemotherapy is working. Have a great day!

Question 9

what can this mean . before chemotherapy cea was 65, after 1 round 80 and after 2 round 55 for metastic colon cancer ?

Accepted Answer

CEA LEVEL: CEA LEVEL is a good marker for response to treatment  for colon cancer. Follow up with your doctor to update CT/PET SCAN and continue to monitor CEA LEVEL. The lower it gets the better . Other things can raise the CEA level as well ie smoking. Make sure to follow up as scheduled with repeat CT scans

Question 10

what can this cea pattern mean on chemotherapy for colon cancer mets
65 before chemo, 80 after round 1, 55 after round 2?

Accepted Answer

It's improving!: All it really means is the CEA is going in the right direction ... falling after chemotherapy.  You can not reliably speculate on what the number changes might say about the magnitude of improvement.  There is too much individual variability and unpredictability for that.  I would be pleased that these changes have occurred.  Best wishes as you continue your treatment:)

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Doctor answers about:

Cancer cea colon colonic

A member asked:

My cea test was a 3. what should i do? i had colon cancer in 1997?

A member asked:

What do you suggest if my cea test was a 3. should i do something else . i had colon cancer in 1997?

A member asked:

My brother is recovering from colon cancer of 2 years ago. his cea count has gone from 5.2 to 9.7 to 19.8 in the last 6months. is there a likelihood that cancer is back?

A member asked:

Disease progression despite the drop in cea - is this possible ? met colon cancer

A member asked:

Could use your help docs! my cea test was a 3. should i do something else? i had colon cancer in 1997?

A member asked:

61y old,stage2b colon cancer,low cea preop,how can we evaluate the response to chemo?

A member asked:

Colon cancer stage 3b but after surgery cea level dropped from 13 to 1.8 what does it mean?

A member asked:

Can 1 drop in cea at round 2 of chemotherapy suggest anything . drop from 65 to 55. ? metastic colon cancer pt

A member asked:

What can this mean . before chemotherapy cea was 65, after 1 round 80 and after 2 round 55 for metastic colon cancer ?

A member asked:

What can this cea pattern mean on chemotherapy for colon cancer mets 65 before chemo, 80 after round 1, 55 after round 2?

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