If you're a non-smoker, they consider your CEA normal until its above 3.0 I've heard of some Oncologistst say 5.0. "While we know that CEA levels can help identify patients with potentially resectable disease, this study should help make clinicians aware of the fact that the likelihood of a recurrence depends on the level of CEA elevation and whether or not . I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer which had metastized to my liver on October 2016. The recurrence of colorectal polyps was significantly associated with increased CEA and CA19-9 levels. 20% of recurrences have no elevated CEA, and at CEA of 10, 68% of recurrences are identified with a positive, while 97% of negatives are true. My heart goes out to you and I am sending you a hug {{{{{{{{ }}}}}}}}. Inflammation can affect tumor development and progression in addition to the response to therapy. And the cancerous polyp I had was in situ with only the surface of the polyp having cancerous cells. Avoid consuming biotin (an ingredient in many multi-vitamins pills) for up to 72 hours prior to the test. I've reviewed the stats for my situation. Ok. Smoking tobacco can increase serum AFP levels. At onset i had Cea level of >4000 ng/ml. People with many types of cancers can have levels that are higher than 3 ng/mL. I would like to invite @gingerw to this discussion. Theres no magic number or threshold for a CEA test that points to cancer. He said he's had patients which had CEAs as high as 20 end up not having any cancer recurrence. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Frankly, I don't think doctors and medical scientists know everything around what CEA means to someone's prognosis. On the scale they use, 5 is considered "High". ASCO 2006 update of recommendations for the use of tumor markers in gastrointestinal cancer. Cochrane reviews (highly respected meta-studies that are often used as guidelines) suggest a CEA of 10 as a trigger to start looking for recurrence. Making me a bit nervous, but will see next blood test. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal doi: 10.1097/01.cad.0000398728.45590.11. It statistically suggest a much higher probability of recurrence. Well be thinking of you on the 19th, Dianne. Cleveland Clinics Robert J. Tomsich Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Institute touches virtually every patient at Cleveland Clinic and thousands of patients across the world. CEA tests of other body fluids usually take 30 minutes or less. You may not get an answer on the 19th itself, but hopefully shortly thereafter. There was no evidence of disease during this time and he remains disease-free. Do you see the paradox in all of this? Oxaliplatin has been shown to cause an inflammatory response which appears to be one of the mechanisms of toxicity and high CEA levels have been correlated with increased inflammation. Less commonly, your provider may test fluid from your: In these cases, your provider takes a small fluid sample using a needle or syringe. It was called FOL-FOX. The opposite is also true. Case in point, I mention my oncologist said in his practice 1 in 4 of his patients have exhibited high CEA levels (as high as 20) and not have any cancer as a result. But a rise in CEA level four to six weeks after initiation of therapy doesnt necessarily mean treatment failure, relapse or recurrence. CA 19-9 levels decreased, were maintained, or increased by <20% in 39 patients, and increased by >20% in 9. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved Can stress raise CEA levels? This does help make me feel better. Consistent with our finding, there are reports suggesting that stress can increase tumor growth and tumor marker expression [26, 27]. Required fields are marked *. All should be well. I wish all the best and pray for all. In some patients, the serum CEA level becomes positive in the absence of recurrence. CR.I'm so sorry about your Mom even if you didn't have cancer that would have been so stressful to go through but you have mets to cope with on top of losing one of the most important people in your life. Background. Fast forward to now. Can stress raise CEA levels? 2010 May;21(5):1013-9. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdp449. I am going to see my GP in an hour. False-positive CEA test results in the range of 5 to 15 ng/mL are common. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Copyright 2000-2022 Cancer Survivors Network. During a blood test, your healthcare provider takes a small blood sample from one of your veins. As with all tumor markers, trend over time is the more important factor than any single test. I've never seen any studies or literature discussing post surgery/chemo outcomes with higher CEA baselines. Cytokines are mediators that govern a vast range of processes involved in the development of cancer, and markers of inflammation form a major part of the tumor microenvironment. Drinking a lot of caffeine from coffee or green tea can also affect some blood test results. Healthcare providers dont use the CEA test to screen for or diagnose cancer. Our findings clearly indicated that immobilization stress results in enhanced serum CEA level whether the stress is acute or chronic. Can stress raise CEA levels? In smokers, slightly higher values may be considered normal (0 to 5 ng/mL, or 0 to 5 g/L). Can stress cause an increase the CEA level? I am guessing you have seen this details (based on your knowledge above), but just a bit of support for you. CEA at surgery was around 8. Also, anything in the 1.0 - 5.0 is considered "normal". The testing I mentioned in my first post in this topic was all done in a 2 week span. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cea/tab/test/ which states Increased CEA levels can indicate some non-cancer-related conditions, such as inflammation, cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, rectal polyps, emphysema, and benign breast disease.. During pregnancy, CEA levels tend to be high. 11. All clear too. We did colonoscopies for almost 7 years and my gastroenterologist decided that we should remove the remainder of the colon to eliminate any further polyps. She will get back to me with what information was shared. It is a blood test that measures the levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, whose levels are not affected by the intake of food. Of course CEA can be elevated for entirely non-cancerous reasons. The only thing they found was a kink in my intestine which could cause some problems with constipation and stomach pain. My CEA level on 7/11 was 5.1. Dropped to 3.7 after sugery. After completion of cancer treatment to check if cancer has returned (recurrence). How to live, always looking over your shoulder is the issue. My oncology surgeon, on the other hand, said that I'm one of those people who won't be able to use a CEA for diagnosis - it was 2 ish prior to surgery and 2 ish after surgery. Strimpakos AS, Cunningham D, Mikropoulos C, Petkar I, Barbachano Y, Chau I. Ann Oncol. A high level of CEA can be a sign of certain types of cancers. Carcinoembryonic antigen blood . This past April I was in to my oncologist for my check-up and my level has increased to 6.1. I've been off of chemo since December 15, 2016 and my CEA has gradually moved from 1.2 in December to 3.4 yesterday. The anxiety and concern you have should also be conveyed, especially if you have been a patient of this dr for a while. Is it normal for CEA levels to fluctuate? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Is that right? The .gov means its official. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use linked below. I can certainly understand your concern about the increase in the CEA number. What is inflammation What are the symptoms and signs of inflammation? Reply. Normal range may vary somewhat depending on the brand of assay used. Although an elevated level of a tumor marker may suggest the presence of cancer, this alone is not enough to . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I had melanoma on my right forearm, which resulted in a surgery leaving a 32 stitch scar. As you are Id be very concerned and trying my best to determine why the CEA levels are raised. This test isnt an accurate way to screen for it because many other diseases can cause the levels of this protein to rise. 2006 Nov 20;24(33):5313-27. And we don't worry about CEA.). How long does it take for CEA to return 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. But one thing is for sure and I've seen a paper state this. This must be confirmed , as the CEA test by itself is not specific enough to substantiate a recurrence of a cancer. The numbers do not correspond with where I'm at in terms of tumor growth. Its what happens when you have been diagnosed with Cancer; especially when it has been a recent diagnosis, like yours. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 3. During a CEA blood test, your healthcare provider: If your healthcare provider needs to take samples of other body fluids, they: A CEA blood test usually takes less than five minutes. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem? Oxaliplatin has been shown to cause an inflammatory response which appears to be one of the mechanisms of toxicity and high CEA levels have been correlated with increased inflammation. Diabetes, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and colonic polyps were considered as causes of false elevation. Conditions such as smoking infection pregnancy and various inflammatory diseases can all cause an increase in CEA levels.The normal range for CEA levels is 0-5 ng/mL. And we here on the forum are happy to let you know that you can chill. Usually, people are born with high CEA levels that decrease as they get older. Tumor markers are substances that are either made by cancer or made by the body in response to cancer. Careers. Can stress raise CEA levels? Carcinoembryonic antigen surge in metastatic colorectal cancer patients responding to irinotecan combination chemotherapy. It sounds like you are feeling good otherwise, but your concern is about the increase in the CEA numbers. But if you already have a cancer diagnosis, your provider may use the test to guide or monitor your treatment. Mine was Stage 1 with T2 tumor, 23 lymph nodes with no cancer spread. He said I've always been on the high side with my CEA and this recent spike from the previous 3 months could be just my normal. Taking baby steps as I continue to monitor my health, which, seems to be just fine. Maybe it's my personality, but I'd strongly prefer to know today - the waiting in ignorance is the harder part. The level of a tumor maker may not go up until after the cancer is advanced. In contrast, the progression risk appeared to be lower for patients with CEA levels lower than 26.8 ng/mL, but a significance level was not reached. Does anyone have a similar experience to this?