Hello
My husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer with extensive mets in the liver. We were told today that his CEA number was 1750 before his first chemo session and today, after 4 rounds of folfox it is now 760. This is clearly good news but I can’t find this type of CEA number when I look online. The numbers referenced are XXng/ml.
I appreciate that you cannot access medical records but can you make sense of these numbers for us?
Thanks
Julie
Hi Julie,
Thank you for contacting Macmillan Cancer Support. My name is David, one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
I am sorry to hear your husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and liver metastases. This is sometimes referred to as advanced cancer.
This must be an extremely worrying time for you all.
However, the CEA (Carcinoembryonic antigen) tumour marker blood test results you mention from 1750 down to 760 would suggest that your husband has responded well to the FOLFOX regime.
Doctors sometimes use these tumour markers to monitor how well your cancer treatment is working.
Regards the XX Ng/ml stands for XX nanograms per millilitre, most commonly used in quantitative test results.
Different laboratories have different reporting systems. For example, some laboratories report the CEA as ug/ml (microgram per millilitre). So 760ng/ml = 0.76 micrograms.
Therefore, it is wise to discuss further with the colorectal team the significance of these results. The aim will be to reduce the CEA as much as possible.
You may find CRUK or Bowel Cancer UK are also very good sources of information and support going forward.
If there is anything else we can help you with please feel free to get back in touch.
Best wishes
David, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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CEA number - stage 4 bowel cancer
Hello
My husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer with extensive mets in the liver. We were told today that his CEA number was 1750 before his first chemo session and today, after 4 rounds of folfox it is now 760. This is clearly good news but I can’t find this type of CEA number when I look online. The numbers referenced are XXng/ml.
I appreciate that you cannot access medical records but can you make sense of these numbers for us?
Thanks
Julie
