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What Does My PET Scan Indicate?
Question: Hi
I am a little confused . My dad had colon cancer surgery in march and was a stage 3. He started xeloda after 11 weeks as he was in 2 minds .
During 4 th cycle his cea XXXXXXX so scans were done And xeloda stopped due to a pet scan
Scan showed 1 16 mm liver met and 1 met in a aortocaval node . Biopsies not done
His cea were
May 3 XXXXXXX 4
July 6
August 9.8
But he had a cea done yesterday which was 8. So it has dropped Infact . But why would this be ?
He had not been on chemo since 8 weeks and due to start folfori in 2 weeks
I am a little confused . My dad had colon cancer surgery in march and was a stage 3. He started xeloda after 11 weeks as he was in 2 minds .
During 4 th cycle his cea XXXXXXX so scans were done And xeloda stopped due to a pet scan
Scan showed 1 16 mm liver met and 1 met in a aortocaval node . Biopsies not done
His cea were
May 3 XXXXXXX 4
July 6
August 9.8
But he had a cea done yesterday which was 8. So it has dropped Infact . But why would this be ?
He had not been on chemo since 8 weeks and due to start folfori in 2 weeks
Brief Answer:
Recurrence and spreading,
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for asking
Stage 4 is a bad prognosis for colorectal malignancy. CEA levels are less than 5 normal and any thing more than that is due to one of the reasons.
1)Cancer of the colon, lung, pancreas, breast, or ovary may be present.
2)Cancer may not be responding to treatment.
3)Cancer may have returned after treatment. A steadily rising CEA may be the first sign that cancer has come back after treatment. Also, people with advanced cancer or cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer) may have high CEA levels if their original cancer produced this protein before treatment.
4)Another condition or disease is present, such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), or an obstructed bile duct.
Also CEA is not a a reliable one but its higher values show recurrences of the malignancy, but many other conditions may increase it as It is a protein and many conditions may increase its level and on the contrary it may be normal in malignancy too.
> Most types of cancer do not produce a high CEA. Having a normal CEA level does not mean that you do not have cancer.
>CEA levels usually return to near-normal levels within 6 weeks of starting treatment if cancer treatment is successful.
>Measuring the amount of CEA in other body fluids, such as abdominal fluid (peritoneal fluid) or the fluid around the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF), can determine whether cancer has spread to that part of the body.
>Other diseases, such as COPD, cirrhosis, and Crohn's disease, may also raise CEA blood levels.
>CEA levels are usually higher in smokers than in people who do not smoke.
Nut shell, Let his oncologist decide what is best for him and you should know that your father has a bad prognosis. The doctors will do their best but the odds for survival are thin.
I hope it helps. Take good care of yourself and dont forget to close the discussion please.
May the odds be ever in your father's favour.
Regards
Khan
Recurrence and spreading,
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for asking
Stage 4 is a bad prognosis for colorectal malignancy. CEA levels are less than 5 normal and any thing more than that is due to one of the reasons.
1)Cancer of the colon, lung, pancreas, breast, or ovary may be present.
2)Cancer may not be responding to treatment.
3)Cancer may have returned after treatment. A steadily rising CEA may be the first sign that cancer has come back after treatment. Also, people with advanced cancer or cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer) may have high CEA levels if their original cancer produced this protein before treatment.
4)Another condition or disease is present, such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), or an obstructed bile duct.
Also CEA is not a a reliable one but its higher values show recurrences of the malignancy, but many other conditions may increase it as It is a protein and many conditions may increase its level and on the contrary it may be normal in malignancy too.
> Most types of cancer do not produce a high CEA. Having a normal CEA level does not mean that you do not have cancer.
>CEA levels usually return to near-normal levels within 6 weeks of starting treatment if cancer treatment is successful.
>Measuring the amount of CEA in other body fluids, such as abdominal fluid (peritoneal fluid) or the fluid around the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF), can determine whether cancer has spread to that part of the body.
>Other diseases, such as COPD, cirrhosis, and Crohn's disease, may also raise CEA blood levels.
>CEA levels are usually higher in smokers than in people who do not smoke.
Nut shell, Let his oncologist decide what is best for him and you should know that your father has a bad prognosis. The doctors will do their best but the odds for survival are thin.
I hope it helps. Take good care of yourself and dont forget to close the discussion please.
May the odds be ever in your father's favour.
Regards
Khan
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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