Colon Cancer Tumor Marker Levels

If cea levels begin to rise after some time it can suggest relapse of the cancer 3.

Colon cancer tumor marker levels.

Tumor markers are chemicals made by tumor cells that can be detected in your blood. People with many types of cancer may have levels higher than 3 ng ml. A tumor marker is anything present in or produced by cancer cells or other cells of the body in response to cancer or certain benign noncancerous conditions that provides information about a cancer such as how aggressive it is whether it can be treated with a targeted therapy or whether it is responding to treatment. When levels are decreasing it may indicate that cancer is responding to treatment and when increasing may suggest a recurrence progression or spread metastasis of the disease when used along with imaging studies and other tests it.

Cea levels return to normal within 4 6 weeks after surgical resection of the tumor. This means 20 30 of people with colon cancer will not have a raised cea level. What is the abnormal cea level. For example carcinoembryonic antigen cea is a tumor marker used in colon cancer yet only 70 80 of colon cancers make cea.

Having a high level of a tumor marker suggests that cancer may be present in the body but by itself a high tumor marker level is not enough to make a diagnosis. But tumor markers are also produced by some normal cells in your body and levels may be significantly elevated in noncancerous conditions. This level is considered to be abnormal. They are measured using a blood test or are found in the tumor tissue itself.

Only 25 of early stage colon cancers have a raised cea. But high levels of cea do not always mean you have cancer. Biggest role for cea tumor marker in colon cancer is monitoring the treatment. Because of this cea cannot always help find colon cancer in its early stages.

Carcinoembryonic antigen cea is a tumor marker in the blood or other bodily fluids that can be used to monitor certain cancers such as colorectal cancer. Tumor markers have traditionally been proteins or other substances that. This limits the potential for tumor marker tests to help in diagnosing cancer. Cea levels are increased when cea is higher than 3 ng ml.

The level of cea will usually be normalized between one and four months after the successful eradication of cancer.