A 19-year-old female asked:
what cea value conisdered a risk of rectal cancer stage 1 recurr. preoper the value is 2.2 and since two years its arround .7?
1 doctor answer
Dr. Carlos Encarnacion answered
35 years experience Medical Oncology
Be careful..: Do not put too much value on a blood test by itself. CEA of 3 or less is considered "normal". Smokers have higher CEAs; up to 5, maybe 10. Anything higher than that is suspicious but by no means diagnostic of recurrence. So called "tumor markers" sometimes go up in non malignant diseases or even for no detectable reason at all. Scans and sometimes biopsies are needed to confirm cancer. Best 2U!
Answered on Sep 29, 2017
1
1 thank
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Related questions:
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Sewa Legha answered
50 years experience Medical Oncology
It is normal: Your CEA is normal, so why bother checking it. I would advise not to check it unless there is clear cut indication. it can only cause you more anxiety ... Read More
1
1 thank
A 68-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Ginsberg answered
37 years experience Hematology and Oncology
High: This is a very concerning result. If there is no obvious non-cancerous cause, recurrence is likely.
1
1 thank
A 56-year-old male asked:
Dr. Devon Webster answered
22 years experience Medical Oncology
Above normal.: A CEA test doesn't always pick up colon cancer, but if someone has had colon cancer, a CEA result that is higher than normal is worrisome. Each lab ha ... Read More
2
2 thanks
A 47-year-old female asked:
Dr. Liawaty Ho answered
23 years experience Hematology and Oncology
Not necessarily: when the colon cancer comes back , it usually comes back within the first 5 years from the diagnosis. it is unlikely that the colon cancer comes back ... Read More
1
1 thank
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
People also searched for:
Connect by text or video with a U.S. board-certified doctor now — wait time is less than 1 minute!
24/7 visits
$15 per month