rise in CA125

[daughter1948]

My Mother was in remission from ovarian cancer for approximately 1yr. Then her CA125 which had come down from 464 to 9 after surgery and chemo began to rise again. The last test showed 154. She has had 3 body scans. The body scans show no sign of cancer. The onclologist says to wait 3 more months and have another scan and another CA125 test. Is there anything else that we can do? She feels good, looks good, is a young 80 years old and very, very energetic. She is also taking tomoxifin. The doctor says this medicine sometimes helps with ovarian cancer and we wanted to be proactive. Thank you!


This discussion is related to CA-125 rise.

[daughter1948]

Thank you! Would you suggest a 2nd opinion from a different oncologist?

[hopeshell]

Hi there,

Sorry to her hear about your mom.  That is a concern that her CA-125 has risen so much since that is a big jump from 9 to 154.  Tumors don't show on the scans until they are 1cm.  I am just wondering why the doctor wants to wait 3 months before more tests.  I have a friend who had recurrence and her scan showed the tumors about a month after her CA-125 started rising.  However, given your mom's age and how well she currently feels, her doctor may not want to switch to a different treatment plan even if small tumors are noted.   So, in that case, it wouldn't really help to have more tests sooner if it wouldn't change the treatment.  It is such a hard cancer to deal with because there is a lot of waiting and wondering.  Hang in there!  I hope your mom continues to feel well.