CEA as LC marker - 1274038

elizoc
Posts:6

At the beginning of April I had the best PET/MRI scans since being dx in 12/11;however, my CEA was the highest it has been since dx. It wash 29.0 , What does mean, if anything?

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Reply # - May 14, 2016, 05:10 PM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi elizoc,

Congratulations on the good scan results! CEA does not tend to be a useful marker in tracking progression of lung cancer. As Dr. West has said:

"The short answer is that the CEA is absolutely not a substitute for repeat imaging and is extremely non-specific and only intermittently helpful. Finding a CEA as normal as a surveillance test would offer me absolutely no reassurance of anything." - http://cancergrace.org/topic/can-cea-be-used-as-a-marker-for-lung-cance…

The best way to monitor response to treatment and progression remains follow-up scanning, and lung cancer treatment decisions should not be made solely on the basis of changing CEA levels.

By the way, it's not necessary to post the same message in more than one thread; we monitor all the topics and will reply no matter where you put your question. I've deleted the other thread (which had no responses yet).

Best wishes for continued good scans.

JimC
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Reply # - May 15, 2016, 11:17 AM

elizoc
Posts: 6

Jim,

Thanks for the response. Also, I had no idea I had posted in two threads. OY! Thanks for deleting the second one.

Your response was very helpful. My CEA has gone up steady since dx; it started at around 4.0 and is now 29.0 when I have less active cancer. Odd. Thanks again.

Elizabeth

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