CEA level spike

Hi Sazmegg 

Can I just confirm that your mum is actively on chemo ?

Well done on the stable scan . That’s the best evidence they have . But some people whilst on chemo have a spike in the their CEA . The actual chemo can cause this or tumour cell death can cause it in some situations as I understand it . This happened twice to my mum .

What did her team say ? We got a good feel for how my mum reacted on treatment and that helped  understand it .

Hope that helps . If it keeps going up they might rescan again in the near future .

Take care ,

Court 

Hey court,

thank you for your reply. Just nice to speak to someone going through the same thing. It feels like sometimes you don’t know where to look and want to run away. Yes my mum is currently on chemo. She’s on FOLFIRI. However after this spike in CEA levels the oncologist now wants to change her chemo to the tablets (not sure what they’re called) and avastin. She is still continuing to give her FOLFIRI tomorrow even though she assumes it’s not working? I don’t know what your experience with oncologist is like but my mums one is not very helpful at all. She always assumes the worst will happen instead of giving her all reasonings! Most of the time she is wrong also. Anyway, she is due to get an MRI also. I just can’t help but feel very anxious about it and just wanted to reach out to see if this can be common or due to other reasons. 

thanks, Sarah

Your mum is entitled to a second opinion . Is she a candidate  for liver surgery ?

My mum passed last year but not before she had 15 years as a stage 4 patient.  She had a wonderful oncologist but she always had surgical consultations as well .

I think it’s reasonable to want to know if this is definitely a failure of treatment or a chemo related spike . 
Take care ,

Court 

Yes we have reached out to a surgeon in Liverpool (we are currently in NI). He is currently looking at her last scan and was very helpful when we had our first consultation with him. Hoping for the best with him fingers crossed. That’s amazing that your mum got 15 years! I want this for my mum and more. Did your mum live her life on chemo or did she eventually get surgery?

She had two liver resections .

The first was four wedge resections . But the second one we went to a centre of excellence for the liver . There are around seven in the U.K. . You can identify them as they also do liver transplants .

They were able to go a bit further and took away 73% of her liver . It regenerated and she did not have chemo after that . But had surgery for a lung met seven years later , then got to 2022 when more cancer popped up but she used a targeted treatment as she was 81 by then .

Two years of chemo bought her a long time along with the surgery . She had it tough at times but some very wonderful treatment free years too .

Not sure where you consulted but also look out the centre of excellence . My mum

was operated on at Edinburgh. That’s the one for Scotland .

My dad was from NI .

Take care ,

Court 

That’s really good information to know. Thank you. I do find it hard to find information on what to do and where to go with her. She is currently inoperable at the minute because although she her tumours are small (millimetre sized) there’s a 12 of them and they’re spread into all 8 sections of her liver and that’s why she is inoperable at the minute. The surgeon in Liverpool has spoke about a procedure called SIRT which looks promising and I’m hoping for surgery on the rest fingers crossed. I will definitely look into the centre of excellence. 
sounds like your mummy is an amazing woman. Just like mine. And mad your dad was from NI! Crazy! I appreciate your advice so much.