Hi there any one who can help,

[S00hqk]

They found a mass on my right ovary and ordered am MRI. Radiologist confirmed the location of the tumor and also said there are no characteristics found correlating to malignancy which was a big relief. But today the tumor marker results came back and I am devastated because the nurse said CA 125 was in the 2000 and also CA 19-9 was elevated at 234. What does this mean?? Does it mean I have ovarian cancer for sure that has spread to gastro organs or have a gastro cancer that caused an ovarian tumor?? How can a negative MRI result in such bad tumor marker results?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi there
BOth blood tests can be elevated for many reasons
I know it is hair raising to wait till surgery to find out exactly what it is
It is really tough
Take care

[S00hqk]

Thank you so much for your reply!! You have no idea how good it feels to have an listening and knowledgeable ear.. My one more question is why would cause CA 19-9 be also elevated at the same time? What could that mean?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,
it is very frightening to not know what is going on. I am so sorry for your distress.
CA 125 can be a marker for malignancy and of course until that mass is removed, we will not know if it is malignant or benign.
It is reassuring that the xray shows a mass with benign properties- however, the only true diagnosis comes with surgery. So that leaves you with this terrible anxiety until the date of surgery.

On the other hand, CA 125 is a nonspecific test and can be elevated in many conditions.

depending on your age, in premenopausal women, the most common reason for an elevation of CA 125 is benign fibroids.. Endometriosis can also elevate this test as can inflammatory masses.

Please let us know how your surgery goes
best wishes