CEA Levels

Hello Everyone,

My Dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2009 with mets to his liver (inoperable).  He went for his scan in May and his lesions has got down in size between 3 mm to 2.5 mm which means they were shrinking and his CEA levels went from 360 to 140.  Yesterday the doctor informed us that his CEA is  down to 17.....what does this really mean???  Is it that his cancer is shrinking??  I am not exactly sure what CEA is ...  Please help! 

:-)

Thanks,

Christine

 HI ,

 CEA IS  a cancer marker and if it is down to 17 thats great news, in a normal person CEA is  about 1-3  unless a smoker then normal is 5... so happy that CEA  is going down ... God Bless Your Dad ...

Hi there,

Of course, a lot depends on your Dad's age, overall health, etc., but maybe you should pointedly question your Dad's oncologist if -- in fact -- his cancer remains "inoperable" at this time given that it is shrinking in the liver and that he's clearly is responding well to the chemotherapy.  The fact that his CEA rate -- which is a marker in the blood that shows how and if a cancer is metabolically active -- is plummeting is also a FANTASTIC sign. Normal CEA is between 1-3 for non-smokers.  CEA rates can also spike due to inflamation, so it's generally not a good marker for screening for colorectal cancer but it remains a valuable diagnositic tool for those that have "confirmed" metastatic disease.

To help give you context, my husband's CEA is currently zero point 8, which is great and the envy of any cancer patient.  But sadly we lacked a benchmark CEA rate going into the operation (this "benchmark" should have been taken before his ressection). As such, he could be one rare colon cancer patients whose CEA cancer marker is naturally low despite having advanced metastatic disease. 

But from what you've described, this is clearly not the case with your Dad, as he seems to have had a very high CEA rate and now it's falling dramatically. 

I wish you continued good luck in what is clearly a trying journey for your Dad and your family. 

Paula Jean

What is CEA?

CEA stands for carcinoembryonic antigen. CEA is a type of protein molecule that can be found in many different cells of the body, but is typically associated with certain tumors and the developing fetus. The word "carcinoembryonic" reflects the fact that CEA is produced by some cancers ("carcino-") and by the developing fetus ("-embryonic").

http://www.medicinenet.com/carcinoembryonic_antigen/article.

Excellent news I'd say, congratulations!

I agree with the explanations given by the others above. Just to give you another story to compare with, my husband's CEA levels (approx values) since last July: 6600, 3500, 230, 110, 180 (after which change of chemo), and last week 70.

One comment I wanted to make though: if the liver is inoperable but the tumors are smaller than 3 cm, has your dad's doctor mentioned if it would be possible to try RFA (radiofrequency ablation)? It works best on small tumors, smaller than 3 cm. If RFA is not familiar to you please read more here:

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=rfa

I have read somewhere that RFA can sometimes also be a possibly curative treatment (as efficient as a liver resection).

All the best and sending positive thoughts to your family, Mousey