wife ca 125 stationary not going down during 4th chemo onwards

[tym168]

Good Day to All,

My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer clear cell and staged 1c .Her ca 125 was 119 went down to 64 on her 3rd chemo

She had a complete hysterectomy and the doctors took out also her appendix and ommentum and both ovaries
She is right now scheduled for her last chemo this jun 13 .

We were hoping that maybe somebody could advice why her ca 125 on her fourth chemo it was 58.08 and on the fifth went up slightly to 58.38. now going into her last chemo we did another ca test and was surprised it is now 61.98.

We are trembling at the notion that her chemo is not taking effect and that the cancer cells are multiplying again.
Her doctor just tells us to wait and finish the chemo and do another ca test after a few weeks.

Does anybody here have any kind of info that can share with us. We are very nervous and hope that this is just a missed test or faulty test or something.

Appreciate any info anybody could share.

thanks and more power to the group

tym

[Jan214]

As the others have said it is frightening when the numbers go up as we all have come to rely on that as an indication of how we are doing.  My numbers have consistently lowered with each chemo and have just as consistently risen after I was off of chemo for awhile.  When I had to stop my last protocol it was at 22 than 34 than 65 and now 92.  I am starting chemo again on Tuesday and I expect they will go down again, but I also expect the will come up again.  Your wife's numbers are not insignificant to the two of you, but in the grand scheme of things the rise that she has had is not significant and as the others said, that small a rise could mean so many things that I would not worry, unless the Dr thinks you have reason to.  Optimism is never going to cure cancer, but it can have an effect on your mental well being and how you handle the ups and downs of cancer.  Good luck to both of you.
Jan

[dian07]

I cannot speak to the accuracy of the tests but I will tell you my oncologist told me not to concern myself with the numbers until they double in consecutive tests.....I know it would scare me big time so I understand how this could be really worrisome to you and your wife.....still, that is what I was told.
Peace.
dian

[momofsandj]

Counts can bounce around a little without meaning anything -- the numbers you are seeing can be "noise", variance in the lab conditions, anything --- a 4 point move isn't meaningful generally -- don't start worrying until things move up consistently and with a much more noticable increase (like 15 or 20% at those levels)

[Brownie3321]

Hello there. Please don't worry about the ca-125 test.  I know it's easier said than done, but it really only is effective in half of the people dx with ovarian cancer. The test can be thrown off by a toothache or a slight cold...anything really. My onc told me to watch the trend and not the number. He said he might be a LITTLE concerned if my ca-125 went up 4-5 times in a row by at least 25 points. To give you an example I will show you my numbers:
Before I wa dx - 6,500
after surgery - 195
after 1st chemo - 230
2nd chemo - 50
3rd chemo - 19
4th chemo - 15
5th chemo - 12
6th and final chemo - 11
off of chemo for 1 1/2 months - 28
off of chemo for 2 months - 69
start of 2nd chemo - 75
after 2 infusions of new chemo - 125
They are still not concerned by my last number. It's best to see how she feels, is she very tired, or feeling ill?
I'l be keeping you both in my prayers. With love, Deandra

[Guiwenneth]

Ask the Doctor what the margin of error is for this particular test/lab (and make sure the same lab was used each time).  No test is exact, and usually has a "margin of error" meaning that the lab expects the result to be accurate within a certain range.  In other words, if the margin of error is +/- 5 then actually all three results are essentially the same.  A result of 60 may actually be as high as 65 or as low as 55 (plus or minus 5).  These three results are so close, that I would guess they actually show no change rather that a growth.  Of course, this is the opinion of a biologist/chemist not a doctor.

[onniebay]

It is so scary when CA125s don't behave like we think they should.  My cancer was found on accident when I had an ovary out due to recurring endometrosis.  Before chemo my #was 65.

1st chemo 18
2nd chemo 10
3rd chemo 16
4th chemo 14
5th chemo 22
6 th chemo 14

That being said I had the complete surgery after chemo.  All pathlogy and washings came back clear.  I stopped finding out my# after the 3rd chemo because I got so upset.  I only recently found out my #s during chemo because my CA125 is jumping all over the place again.  

My number recently jumped from from 14 to 20 and then back down to 13.9.  I will not be finding out my # anymore.  The CA125 is just one test they use.  When she is done with chemo, they will also look at how she is feeling, exams, and scans.  Please know your wife is my thoughts and prayers.  Let us know what her oncologist thinks after chemo is completed.