Scared As Hell...

Please can someone help me with more information.  My boyfriend (38) and i were told on Tuesday that the colon cancer has moved to the liver.  His CEA count wat 11.6 which is apprently high.... Can some one please tell me what is the normal rate and from which range is it regarded and high? 

He will start Chemo on the 1.10.2007 (FOLFOX) for approximately 3-4 months and then a decission will be made if surgery will take place. The Dr mentioned that it's an extremely dangerous op with a very high risk.  Can some one please share their experience of some one having to go through this type of surgery.  What are the risks?  What is the success rate?  Will Chemo not shrink the cancer so much that surgery is not necessary?  Problem being, he's a Type 1 Diabetic - this worries me.... Complications, infections etc.....

I am petrified of what lies ahead of us.  Just knowing it was colon cancer was hard enough but now dealing with liver cancer is a very scarey thought. 

Please help!  I'm scared and don't know what to do... :(

I just discovered this site and it looks like a good place to share  information. Cancer is always a scary diagnosis but you must remember that you always have options and there is always hope.

I have worked with cancer patients for many years of my nursing career and have seen great results with colon surgery. Why will you boyfriends surgery be so dangerous? Do you need a second opinion? or have you done that already? I have seen some great results with colon surgeries.

Each lab has different values for the CEA so that is best to ask your MD- also compare that result to other results.

One day at a time friend- I am interested in knowing why this surgery will be so high risk?

Take care

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You may want to post under colon cancer, because I rarely check the liver site. 

I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer with mets to the liver in July of 2004.  I was originally told I could die at any moment, but that I had 18 months tops to live.  I then went to a top cancer hospital and currently have no evidence of disease. 

When I was first diagnosed, my CEA was 123.4.  I thought that was high, and then I met people whose CEA is in the 800's to 1,000's. 

After my colon and liver surgery, my CEA was 4.  After chemo it went to normal.  The normal range for CEA in an adult non-smoker is <2.5 ng/ml and for a smoker <5.0 ng/ml.   

>The Dr mentioned that it's an extremely dangerous op with a very high risk.  Can some one please share their experience of some one having to go through this type of surgery.  What are the risks?  What is the success rate?  Will Chemo not shrink the cancer so much that surgery is not necessary?  Problem being, he's a Type 1 Diabetic - this worries me.... Complications, infections etc.....

What kind of surgery is he having?  If you're talking about a liver operation, I had half of my liver removed.  Your liver regenerates and mine is now about 95% of it's original size.  Chemo may shrink it, it depends on where the cancer is.  Chemo before surgery would not work for me, because of where the cancer was. 

>I am petrified of what lies ahead of us.  Just knowing it was colon cancer was hard enough but now dealing with liver cancer is a very scarey thought. 

I always think it's harder on the caregiver than the person.  I suggest that you go to a top cancer hospital if you are in the US.  You can find them here at http://health.usnews.com/sections/health/best-hospitals 

Good luck and let us know how we can help. 

I to am as sacred as I have ever been.  A couple of years ago my husband was diagnosed with Colon Ca.  After the colon resect we thought everything was fine and that we had achieved the surgical cure.  By the end of the 1st year we were told that there wasa lesion on his liver.  The procedure to address the lesion was, for the lack of a better word, an ablation.  He was started on the chemo TS1 immediately following the procedure and for the last 8 months his follow ups (labs and cat scans) showed no evidence of anything new.  His last lab showed an elevation in his cea (9.something) the cat scan showed nothing.  the MD told us not to worry and to come back in May.  I checked this out with my brother who is a MD(an internist) and he said the lab is of concern but that we really do have to wait until May and see if the lab number comes down and what the next cat scan shows.  My question is has anyone had an elevated cea and then have it come back normal the next time.  My husband is still taking TS1, he stopped smoking about 5 years ago,  and he was running our fire place non stop for 2 weeks about a month before the lab was drawn.  He also had to make a big move with his job.  Can someone help me to understand if any of these things could have affected the cea lab result.  I pray everyday for his health which is all I can do since i truly believe that only God make this right.