CA 125

[benfranklin]

My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, stage IV with spreading to chest cavity.
Her CA 125 was above 3800.  One month after surgery it dropped to about 367.
Two weeks later is dropped to about 320.  After 1st chemo it dropped 190.
After 2nd it dropped to about 130.  After 3rd it dropped to about 65.
After 4th it dropped to about 45.  She just had her 5th treatment.

Is this result better or worse that the typical stage IV patient?

Thanks for your reply.

[onniebay]

Please don't put too much attention on numbers.  My number acutally went from 10 to 16 after my 3rd chemo.  After that, I decided not to find out my numbers because it wsas stessing me out.  I had the completely surgery after chemo and all my pathology came back clear.

At my 3 month checks I tell them not to tell me my numbers.  They will let me know if there is a problem.  

I think it is great that her number keep going down!  Best wishes to your wife.  

[vegas2cr]

Helen is absolutely right... don't focus on the numbers.. It doesn't tell you how much cancer you have for some.. Some numbers are really high like Helens and yet she feels well.  I have stage IV and when diagnosed my numbers were 380.. they dropped back to 6 after chemo and surgery... my Surgery was last Sept and the numbers are rising again but I feel great....
Again don't focus on numbers just on how she feels............ Ronni

[Helmar]

Hello...Most women with OvCa are different in one way or another, so it's hard to generalise on the CA.125 numbers. I was dx Stage 4 in Feb 04. After the initial operation and the the completion of the usual 6 rounds of chemo, my CA.125 dropped to 12. I thought at the time I had beaten this lousy cancer, but it came back about 9 months later. I've not seen 12 ever again... the lowest since being 50. I am presently over 6000 but still feeling fine, and doing well. My Oncol. has repeatedly told me during the past 4 years not to place too much importance on the numbers, but rather on how I feel within myself. The CA.125 isn't a good indication for some ladies, so they then have to rely on scans to see how things are going. I hope your wife won't stress too much re the numbers, as stress isn't a good thing for us.
Wishing your wife all the best, and I hope she does really well.... hugs...Helen...