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What Causes Fluctuations In CEA Levels While Having Colon Cancer?

Posted on Tue, 13 Jun 2017

Question: Do people who never had colon cancer have CEA levels within the normal range that fluctuate? For example <.3 to .6, to 1.0..

I had colon cancer stage 1, T2. The day of the surgery my CEA was 1.5 and after the surgery my CEA level has gone from <.3 to .6 within 7 months after the surgery. My CT scan is clean and all other blood work is good. I had 27 lymph nodes that were cancer free so no CHEMO except for follow up blood and CT scans ever y 3 to 6 months . I am concerned about my the CEA levels slowly increasing even though they are within normal range. So my question is: It is normal for people who never had cancer for their CEA levels to go up and down within the normal range.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Esmeralda Sera (11 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
CEA level

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for asking

Yes it's normal for people how had not cancer to have high CEA level

Other causes of rising CEA level are some several factors like smoking,infection,inflammatory bowel disease etc

Chemiotherapy can also cause a temporary rise in CEA level

Hope this helps you

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Esmeralda Sera (1 hour later)

I am not asking about people who had chemotherapy or people who smoke or with other bowl disease.

I wanted to know: Do perfectly healthy people have CEA levels that go and down between 0-3.

And its not normal for people to have high CEA levels who never had cancer.

Can you please answer the question correctly or not at all.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Esmeralda Sera (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
CEA level

Detailed Answer:
Hi again

Normal people may have fluctuations in values but always within norms
The highest values are for the reasons I mentioned before

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Esmeralda Sera (16 hours later)

I had colon cancer, stage 1 with T2 tumor. My CEA in the hospital the day of the surgery was on 9/26/16 which the CEA was 1.5. In Oct it was <.3, January .5, April .6 and now in May .7. My CEA is all within normal range but I am really stressing out that i could be having a reoccurrence. Could there be a tumor growing and causing the CEA to slowly go up? If the CEA was going up and down I would not be concerned but since it is slowly moving up ( even though it is within normal range) I am worried. Should I get a colonoscopy now instead of waiting until August?. My CT scan in March was clean. The normal range is 0.0-3.0 for CEA.

So with my CEA history should i be concerned? And do people who never had cancer have CEA levels?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Esmeralda Sera (13 hours later)

Brief Answer:
CEA level

Detailed Answer:
Hi again

Since the CT scan was clean you should not be concerd about the rising CEA

You should wait until August for the colonoscopy
Normal people can have high results of CEA under specific conditions

In your condtition having slow groing CEA doesn't means cancer regress

Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad