can stress raise cea levels

In general, a CEA level of more than 2.9 ng/mL is considered abnormal but doesnt necessarily mean that cancer is present. Carcinoembryonic antigen blood . Yes, CEA can increase due to many non-cancer factors including just being stressed/run-down. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Dropped to 3.7. The blood level of this protein disappears or becomes very low after birth. I know that it's good to stay on top of changes, but I wonder about the damage that having this type of stress does. Depending on what the next reading says, my CRC surgeon is talking about doing exploratory surgery to see if there's something in my abdomen that isn't being picked up by scans. Can stress raise CEA levels? I believe this is called cell apoptosis (sp?). However, serum CEA levels fluctuate over time even in the same individuals. It helps to talk with others about their experiences. Six patients had at least three CEA values and four were included in the study. I have annual CT scans and colonoscopy every 2 years (because of reoccuring polyps). Take a deep breath - you're okay! Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy that is an integral part of several regimens for colorectal cancer. We all get caught up in the stats, it is difficult not to when you are dealing with this. Hey Dianne, The blood level of this protein disappears or becomes very low after birth. If CEA levels both start and remain high, it could indicate that the cancer is not responding to treatment. Different labs may have slightly different references ranges and clinicians may consider higher thresholds depending on the individual circumstances. As far as questions to ask your dr, I might ask if the test should be done again. One last thing to do. How should I prepare for a Carcinoembryonic antigen test? One of the effects it could have on health is a spike in blood sugar levels. This number makes me very nervous but it is really only another tool and I have found other things can cause it to rise like a dental infection or even a sinus infection so I try my best not to get too anxious when there is a spike upwards Two distinct patterns of CEA rise were observed: a fast rise in which serum concentrations reached 100 microgram/l within 6 months of the first elevation and a slow rise in which concentrations remained less than 75 microgram/l for at least 12 months. 2022 Aug 25;9:945433. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.945433. Usually, people are born with high CEA levels that decrease as they get older. I am sure we will just be coming up with a plan of some sort. 2006 Nov 20;24(33):5313-27. CEA dropped back down to 5.4 and 5.2. National Library of Medicine Categories Oncologist. Colonoscopy. False-positive CEA test results in the range of 5 to 15 ng/mL are common. I was diagnosed in 2009 but it was only stage 2. It is a protein found in the tissues of a developing baby. Other than the appendicial cancer caught last year considered a new primary, I was thinking when I past 3 years I could start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Discussion. At onset i had Cea level of >4000 ng/ml. Can stress raise CEA levels? I asked him how common is it. Went back to my CRC surgeon and he did a right hemicolectomy to be sure nothing gets left behind. Before There is very little risk to having a CEA blood test. Doctors dont use the CEA test to make a first-time diagnosis of cancer. Also, recent study results suggested that serum CEA levels may be related to insulin resistance or low-grade inflammation. They found that I have a predisposition for polyps. https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cea/tab/test/ which states Increased CEA levels can indicate some non-cancer-related conditions, such as inflammation, cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, rectal polyps, emphysema, and benign breast disease.. Is that right? CEA is typically reported in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). 'Recurrence' in this context generally means metastasis and then a ~30% chance of 5yr survival. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Connect with thousands of patients and caregivers for support and answers. So given my age and other causes I'm looking at an almost 30% chance of not being here in 5-7 yrs. Hello Ginger, Due to the elevated CEA nd my past history, GI doc agrees to move up the colonoscopy that was supposed to be during the summer; one year from when we found the appendicial cancer. Clinical signs and imaging modalities also play a role in the final assessment. 2012 Jun;8(2):172-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-7563.2011.01486.x. Key Takeaways: Tumor markers are substances found in the blood. Your healthcare provider may use a CEA test to guide cancer treatment or to see if treatment is working. I was told they check the CEA as a marker but it really is not a good indicator of cancer. ), Betsy (who was diagnosed Stage 4 in 2005 and is still here and off chemo), I finally got down to a 1.8 after the last surgery, then it went to 2, then 2.2, then 2.6, it just kept bumping up. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Key takeaways: A high creatinine level on a blood test can be a sign of decreased kidney function or kidney disease. And we here on the forum are happy to let you know that you can chill. He said in his practice he said about 1 in 4 of his patients being tracked with CEA will have high false positives. Accessed 4/11/2022. Locker GY, Hamilton S, Harris J, Jessup JM, Kemeny N, Macdonald JS, Somerfield MR, Hayes DF, Bast RC Jr; ASCO. Again, nothing found. After you have a diagnosis, and before you have treatment and/or surgery. All Rights Reserved. Confirmation of the exact benign cause of CA 19-9 elevation has a very important clinical value in that anxiety and unnecessary follow-up tests can be eliminated in patients. We redid the test again in 6 weeks which was yesterday and they have increased by 0.3 to 6.4. Ok. What is the normal range for CEA blood levels? 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195 |, Important Updates + Notice of Vendor Data Event, (https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/cea-test/), (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cea-test/), (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/thoracentesis), Visitation, mask requirements and COVID-19 information, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Institute (R. Tomsich). Well be thinking of you on the 19th, Dianne. His CEA level increased significantly during oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and declined to a near normal level after completion of therapy. Your email address will not be published. Everyone thinks, this was the cause of my CEA spike. What can cause a false positive CEA? It may not be a good indicator for you, either? Drinking a lot of caffeine from coffee or green tea can also affect some blood test results. It wasnt out of the colon. He also said he's not convinced the CEA spike last year when the polyp with appendicial cancer was found was due to that cancer. Sekizaki, Tomonori; Yamamoto, Chiho; Nomoto, Hiroshi. There's lots of scientific research to prove it. Research evidence suggests that CEA levels can increase in response to chronic and acute stress, primarily caused by restraint behavior or immobilization. It does not store any personal data. On 12/20/2016 erbitux was added as targeted therapy drug for liver tumors. However levels can vary depending on . Thanks in advance. The CEA test result can be elevated among patients with early-stage disease (stage II-III). Next steps involve my doctor is consulting with their GI doctor and oncologist . Stress, Chronic Stress, and Stress Relief. In contrast, the progression risk appeared to be lower for patients with CEA levels lower than 26.8 ng/mL, but a significance level was not reached. CEA is an antigen (small protein) that is found on the surface of colon, rectal, gastric and other types of cancer cells and high levels of CEA can be detected in the blood of some patients with cancer and the developing fetus. Thanks for your concern. Careers. "When under constant stress, you have persistent high levels in cortisol and other stress hormones. Specialists in a laboratory analyze the blood to check for CEA. False-positive CEA test results in the range of 5 to 15 ng/mL are common. Yu S, Zhao J, Wang M, Cheng G, Li W, Tang L, Yao S, Pang L, Yin X, Jing Y, Cheng H. Front Med (Lausanne). Hi Dianne, We present the case of a patient, a 58-year-old male, who had initially presented aged 56 years with rectal bleeding for several months. What can cause CEA to be elevated? It sounds like you are feeling good otherwise, but your concern is about the increase in the CEA numbers. He said no. and transmitted securely. My oncologist says that they are taught to only watch CEA when it gets above normal. as long as 4/29/2017 petscan is good,blood levels remain good, and liver functions remain normal, and tumors are shrinking the plan is erbitux every 2 weeks as maintenance as long as necessary. Sensitivity of CEA ranged from 17.4 % to 100 %, specificity ranged from 66.1 % to 98.4 %, positive predictive value ranged from 45.8 % to 95.2% and negative predictive value ranged from 74.5 % to 100 %. Has anyone experienced fluctuation in their results? . Consistent with our finding, there are reports suggesting that stress can increase tumor growth and tumor marker expression. Its so hard to deal with these blood tests! CEA is a blood glycoprotein. Confirmation of CEA elevation in this range before initiating imaging studies may be appropriate. My CEA levels were within normal ranges but it turned out I have stage III rectal cancer so it doesnt always match up. I go in and get CEA done. A coordinator will follow up to see if Mayo Clinic is right for you. Earlier recurrence was more likely among patients with high levels of S100 proteins or norepinephrine in their blood than among those with low levels. Interested in more discussions like this? I would be surprised if that fact didn't send all your numbers soaring. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. I'm not in a position to second guess your Docs or mine, but colon cancer often metastesizes to lung, liver, peritoneum, pancreas, where it can still elevate CEA. As you probably already have researched, increasingly CEA levels can mean many things. If you have a blood test, you may have mild pain or bruising where your provider inserted the needle. Overtime, that would cause stress on blood vessels. Yeah - there are several studies that show a pretty high false-positive rate for CEA in ppl like us who have had a resection. Anticancer Drugs. Can stress raise CEA levels? I have had my mammogram done and it is clear, I dont have any more colon so it cant be colon cancer, I had a hysterectomy when I was in my 20s so that rules out ovarian cancer. I was thinking about you. It means a protein with a lot of sugars added to it by normal or cancerous cells. Your email address will not be published. The normal range is 0 to 2.5 ng/mL (0 to 2.5 g/L). Dropped to 3.7 after sugery. You can return home the same day. My oncologist doesn't seem to worried and has said so. These are usually less than 10 ng/ml. ASCO 2006 update of recommendations for the use of tumor markers in gastrointestinal cancer. Go to the Colorectal Cancer Support Group. Other Conditions Can Cause Elevated CA 15-3 Levels. It is a red flag if the CEA remains elevated after surgery, possibly indicating residual disease, ie, cancer that was not removed. His serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level at the time of diagnosis was 4.6 ng/ml. After surgery, when most patients are cured, the CEA number would be expected to normalize. A swollen joint that may be warm to the touch. Of course, it may take some time to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". .. Although an elevated level of a tumor marker may suggest the presence of cancer, this alone is not enough to . In adults, an abnormal level of CEA may be a sign of cancer. Hi Diane Understandably, any rise in your CEA level can cause a great deal of anxiety for you and everyone close to you. The Onc wasn't worried, but then it's not his test score, so I was, like you, nervous until the Dec. test, when it finally bumped down to 2 again. Not every pancreatic cancer will cause elevated levels of CA 19-9, and some non-cancerous conditions (like pancreatitis and jaundice) can cause high levels of CA 19-9. Taking baby steps as I continue to monitor my health, which, seems to be just fine. Doctors dont use the CEA test to make a first-time diagnosis of cancer. A high level of CEA can be a sign Diabetes, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and colonic polyps were considered as causes of false elevation. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. @spedteacher At the request of @hopeful33250 I am responding to you. Strimpakos AS, Cunningham D, Mikropoulos C, Petkar I, Barbachano Y, Chau I. Ann Oncol. Your CEA levels are all low. They are available on this number 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday, between 9 a.m - 5 p.m. Frankly, I don't think doctors and medical scientists know everything around what CEA means to someone's prognosis. The antigen levels may increase without any progression of the disease at all, creating a false positive. I have really been stressed out over my last CEA level and can't help but think there could be something brewing with the levels going up from after the surgery but I have to try to keep thinking positive thoughts. You could test them twice a day and they would be different. False-positive CEA elevations have been reported to occur in smokers and in patients with nonmalignant conditions, including gastrointestinal disease (eg, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, liver disease, diverticulitis, hepatitis, peptic ulcers, biliary obstruction, cirrhosis), lung disease (eg, chronic Interested in more discussions like this? First, I'm not sure that 3 weeks is enough time to wait between tests to see if there is a trend. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer which had metastized to my liver on October 2016. I had a CT with contrast done a few weeks prior to meeting up with my oncologist and having the CEA done. Immediately after diagnosis to help guide your treatment plan (baseline testing). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". False-positive results greater than 15 ng/mL are rare, and all confirmed CEA levels greater than 35 ng/mL were associated with cancer recurrence. Policy. Alkaline phosphatase. I'm planning to stop seeing the oncologist all together and stick with my onc surgeon, gastroenterologist and family doctor because I can't live my life with no answers. Complete your request online or contact us by phone. Dianne, have you had an appointment with your oncologist since receiving the results of this latest test? Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! Oncol Lett. I understand completely that when you have had cancer once it is hard to not think that it will reoccur. Can CEA levels fluctuate during chemotherapy? Cochrane reviews (highly respected meta-studies that are often used as guidelines) suggest a CEA of 10 as a trigger to start looking for recurrence. Ng SL, Burns WI, Snyder RD, Newnham GM, McLachlan SA, Liew D, Dowling AJ. All Rights Reserved. First, mental and physical stress triggers the release of cortisol, increases blood pressure, and quickens the heart rate. You tend to wait for the "other shoe to drop.". Collect a sample of CSF, pleural fluid or peritoneal fluid. I have to say I'm not happy about the failure of my CEAs to drop into the normal range (<3.1 on this test). There was no evidence of disease during this time and he remains disease-free. I am ER+, PR+ and HER2 Neg. The normal range for CEA in an adult non-smoker is <2.5 ng/ml and for a smoker <5.0 ng/ml. I know that I am in a good place as far as cancer goes and I feel very lucky to be here. In other patients who have positive serum CEA levels at initial surgery, the level becomes negative at the time of recurrence. A 2019 study, for example, showed that stress hormones can increase the number of pro-tumor immune cells in tumors. All negative. While the kink in the intestine and the allergic reaction dont sound like fun, Im also glad that these things were discovered now too. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. I can certainly understand your concern about the increase in the CEA number. (See Bartels 1993, Bernstein 1989, Cuckle 1990, Thomsen 1983, Spencer 1993.) Here I am with just about the same amount of activity as when I was first diagnosed. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 10 Do you need to empty your bladder before a CEA test? Ask oncologist if I need to have a CT scan for this checkup. Reply. If you want to talk about CEA panic, imagine having to deal with not a few tenths rise but several points of rise. It can be safely used in pregnant/breastfeeding women as well as in children. My follow up is every three months bloodwork and every six months CT scans. I received my first chemo therapy treatment on Oct 25th 2016 of 5-FU and oxyplatin with pump to take home with 46 hrs of 5-FU in it. Normal range: < 2.5 ng/ml. What could be going on?? Although more studies are necessary when it comes to caffeine, there is a chance that this substance can alter blood glucose levels and temporarily increase them. A rising CEA level indicates progression or recurrence of the cancer. Making me a bit nervous, but will see next blood test. What questions or next steps would be reasonable to ask her? GI doc tells me there were some things found but nothing that points to any cancer issues in my small bowel. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. On the scale they use, 5 is considered "High". 8600 Rockville Pike I am very scared that I may have cancer somewhere in my body I am not aware of. Get useful, helpful and relevant health + wellness information. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. But the tests can show important information if you already know you have cancer. An X, Ding PR, Xiang XJ, Wang ZQ, Wang FH, Feng F, Jiang WQ, He YJ, Xu RH, Li YH.