CEA number rising

[wordpix]

I'm a mCRC stage 4 patient with all tumors removed and there is no recurrence 1-1/2 yrs. after surgery. When I first started chemo after surgery, my CEA was around 3, which is normal. Since then it's risen gradually until now it's over 6. I am 9 mos. past the end of chemo. How important is the CEA number? My doc has ordered another blood test to re-analyze CEA but I'm worried. Does anyone have experience with this?

[Tab]

1. My oncologist didn't get too worked up over it.

I'm also MCRC stage IV mets to lungs; my # was always low - if not normal - while I did a lot of my treatments. It increased later on.

Her take on it was that if a CEA zoomed from nothing to, say, 150, that's something to indicate you might want to look around, but a normal CEA means nothing (certainly not in my case), and a high CEA guarentees nothing except you might want to check out more.

So, in short, in and of by itself, it means nothing specific; just take with other info it might help confirm (but won't really excuse) a condition.

- Tab

[wordpix]

2. my doc had me do another test and CEA was normal

It's normal again this month. He said same thing---don't get too worked up unless the number zooms up regularly or suddenly