Tumor marker blood test- CEA Is it usefull?

[jcawork]

Is this test reflective of how we are doing?

Personal experience with it going up or down? Did it reflect remission or reoccurance? Mine was 5.5 w/ dx and I had many neuroendocrine symptoms (flushing, racy heart, elev. BP etc) so I would have thought it would be higher. Its now 4.1.

I have a friend w/ terminal BC and hers is 38 and she says this blood test is very important for BC patients. I am not sure how usefull for LC patients.

Thanks,

Jen

[Nancy B]

Hi Jen, have been thinking about you alot. My CEA count from my first cancer never got over 4.1 and my surgeon told me that my tumor just did not shed anything into the blood stream. My second cancer this year, it was even lower than that. My CEA count doesn't tell me a thing. I will be interested to hear about others though. What are your numbers? Take care.

Love and hugs,

Nancy B

[berisa]

I just heard that CEA is for Colon Cancer.

If CEA index for non-smoker <5.0 is normal

for smoker < 10.0 is normal.

Mine (not a cancer fighter) was 0.72

[Surveyor]

Before starting radiation, the oncologist thought we should look for cancer markers. He said sometimes cancer kicks out hormones that are measurable. He did several tests and concluded that CEA was valid for me. At that time, Apr. ’04, the CEA measured 62.2. He said it was probably in the 100’s before chemotherapy. A month after we concluded radiation (Sept. ’04) my CEA was 46.0. Today, Nov. 3, my CEA was 27.0. With my NSCLC adenocarcinoma, it appears to be a pretty good indicator.

[kimblanchard]

It is sometimes useful, sometimes not and should always be taken with many grains of salt. For you, Jen, I would say not useful. Some tumors just shed more than others. I have a woman with a tumor in an area of her lung with lots of scarring and a loculated effusion, very hard to judge response to treatment by scans. However, her CEA at diagnosis was over 3000. After 2 months of therapy, it had fallen to around 200 although there was little change in her CT scan. In her case, it was a clear indication that the cancer was responding. If the CEA is not significantly elevated at diagnosis (in stage 4 patients that is) it is generally not that useful. Also it is very non-specific, can be elevated in virtually any malignancy (breast, colon, stomach, etc).

[Cindy RN]

I had always been told with this type of ca that it was not helpful.

Dr Joe-My oncol. uses the LDH to watch for changes. He also gets a chem profile and cbc every 2 months

So far so good for me-

Jen-I have missed you! I have been so busy tho-Call and catch up.

Love Cindy

[Elaine]

My CEA wasn't substantially elevated at DX and at 3 and 6 months past dx it remained within a point of the original number. . I think I was within normal for a smoker. But I am wondering if it still shouldnt be used to help ascertain if there may be mets--as a first step in my re-staging.

I notice my new Dr. did not order a CEA among the bloodwork when the whole point of my getting new Drs was to be re-staged and to look at current options in re to treatment.

[kimblanchard]

I'm not really a big fan of tumor markers in lung caner. The truth is, there are no accurate markers although CEA is probably the best of a bad bunch. LDH, although I do also sometimes use it, is virtually worthless. There is certainly nothing wrong with checking CEA's, I do myself sometimes (not always) but for LC, clearly imaging studies are most important.

[jcawork]

Thanks for responding and I hope my email finds you well. I posted another one on LDH since this seems to be the other test that is run.

Jen