Ca125 and OVCA recurrence

[CStarr]

My mom, at age 87, was diagnosed with Stage III OVCA in May 2204 . She had a CA125 of 8000 (yes, you read it right). She had surgery and chemo (Taxotere and Carboplatin)and when she finished chemo in March 2005,  her CA125 was at 6. Eight weeks ago she a CA125 of 13 and  two weeks ago her CA125 jumped up to 26. Her CA125 test has a range of )-21 as opposed to the more common one which is 0-35. She is now out of the normal range and her CA125 has doubled as well. The doctor does not seem to be concerned. A week before her latest bloodtest she was in the hospital due to dehydration from diarrhea (food related). She had numerous tests including an abdominal CT and Xray, which were normal. Also, she was recently put on an Advair inhaler(has steroids in it as well as a bronchodialator)  for Emphysema, due to second hand smoke. Could either the Advair or the diarrhea influence the CA125 results? Should I get a second opinion?  A very concerned daughter! CStarr

[suzsen]

I've heard a lot of things can affect CA125, but I don't know whether your mom's medicines would be on that list, it's possible.

Going from a CA125 of 8000 to 6!  Wow, that was some good surgery and chemo!  

My mom finished chemo 16 months ago, her CA125 has slowly risen from 8 to 26 (using the under 35 range).  Her doctor told her if it doubled between checks or went out of the normal range he would start to talk about more treatment.  They check her every 2 - 3 months.

With everything your mom just went through (dehydration, etc), maybe the dr isn't eager to start up chemo again.  Just a thought.

Hope that's helpful.

[kathy o]

If it was me, I would definately get a second opinion. I had alot of stomach issues when my cancer returned and numbers started to rise and sure enough right after the first treatment those all went away. Good luck

[CStarr]

Kathy, What was your CA125 at the time you started your second round of chemo? Did anything show up on a CT scan? What Chemo did you have the first time? What chemo are you undergoing now, and how many treatments will you have? Also, how long was it from the time you finished your first round of treatment until the you had to start treatment again? sorry for all of the questions.

[kathy o]

This time ca125 was 125 now after six treatments (taxol-carbo) its at 18.  I was first diagnosed 2003 Sept.ca125 440 did 9 taxol-carbo, and then 12 taxol maintence, cancer came back 6 months later. Three spots less than 2 centimeters each showed up on cat scan. Had my cat scan today and have at least one more treatment next week. You had mentioned that her scan came back clear, so maybe it is something else? Does your Mom still have the same Dr. that diagnosed her OC and treated her in the first place?