ca 125 and Cat Scan

Hi everyone, very interesting and helpful site thank you.

I was told yesterday I need a hyster. my first ca 125 test was 34 and this last one was 44. I am really scared. Did anyone else have that blood test, what were the results.

I have cysts in both ovaries and am scheduled for a cat scan next thursday the 20th and my surgery will be on Jan 10. Did anyone else have to go for a cat scan? I think I can make it through the surgery although I AM REALLY NERVOUS! but I'm very worried about cancer.

Hi marshao and welcome!

A great place to start here is our search engine...the little purple button at the top right of each page. Try searching on CA125 and CAT scan and you'll turn up many threads which discussed these topics.

I didn't have the CA125 but many sisters have. You may want to cross post on our forum Cancer Concerns...there are very knowledgeable and helpful ladies there who have been down that road and back. They will be very happy to help answer any and all of your questions!

Keep reading and posting, and we'll all be here to help you through this. You are NOT alone!!!!

Karen

I was given a CA125 test when my fibroid? was discovered. At the time I was told that anything over 25 is considered abnormal, but that the fibroid might cause a false positive reading as well. I do not know if it is possible for ovarian cysts to give a false positive reading, but perhaps. I don't think your scores are that high. I have heard of people with ovarian cancer being tested initially and having really high scores (I think I heard around 1000 in one case). Even if you have a problem, I will pray that it has been caught early.

As to catscan. No, I didn't have one, but from what I have read it is just another diagnostic tool, perhaps a more accurate one then an ultrasound.

Cancer is certainly a scary prospect, but it is beatable. My grandmother survived a stage II breast cancer (back in 1950 when women didn't survive) and two colon cancers. Breast cancer did eventually kill her, but she was 94. My mother survived breast cancer. My dad survived prostate cancer and my aunt survived non-hodgkins lymphoma. I have heard survival stories of ovarian cancer. The key seems to be early detection and a good oncologist. Try to stay positive.

Marsha,

s for you! Although I am familiar with that test, I really don't know any details on what the results mean. I know there has been discussion out here so, like Karen suggested, try the search function. Please also discuss your concerns with your doctor as s/he should be able to tell you if your concerns are warranted. Some doctors will perform tests as a matter of routine and other will do this because of family history. I know mine did some additional testing because of the family history. I have not heard of the CAT scan but I did have an MRI. This was for diagnosis purposes only. I think doctors don't like surprises when they open us up so they do what they can before surgery. Good luck in your searches....let us know what you find out!

Hi Marsha!

I did not have a cat scan but I did have CA125.... so I did alot of research on the CA125 test. Agreeing with KarenL, I do suggest you do the same. In my research, I found that CA125 was simply a tumor marker, and rarely if ever a means for diagnosis, since it tends to give false positives AND false negatives alike. My results showed a lower number than yours, but my DR was still quite suspicious of my tumor (ovarian), and assured me that there is no way to know for sure until the biopsy could be done after surgical removal.

Further, my research showed that, unless the patient is post-menopause, the CA125 has been characterized by some medical professionals as worthless as a diagnostic tool.

Hopefully your DR has reassured you about this reading. So much can influence the results of this test and have nothing to do with malignancy.

After your research, your reaction will probably be the same as mine was - with a 'wait and see, and keep a positive attitude' outlook.

Best wishes to you as you begin this journey!

Hi!

My regular gyn referred me to a gynecological oncologist and scheduled both a pelvic CT and a CA 125 test when my fibroids started growing very rapidly. They had gotten so huge that she couldn't do a very good pelvic exam and she just wanted to rule out any cancer that the fibroids might be hiding. The oncologist wanted to see to see me immediately, which really scared me badly. I spent a couple of very terrified days.

My CA 125 results were a 39 and the pelvic CT showed a large mass in my abdomen. I was pretty freaked out by all this for a few days until I sat down with the oncologist and he talked me through it all. He said that the CA 125 results were above the normal range (above 35 is considered "suspicious"), but sometimes rapidly growing fibroids increase the readings of the protein marker that they test for. He also reassured me that the "abdominal mass" didn't look like cancer to him at all and he was 95% sure it was just lots of big fibroids. Up until that conversation with him, I was expecting the worse and was very afraid. I thank God that my regular gyn had the good sense to refer me to him, because he's a brilliant surgeon and since he works with cancer patients every day, he knows what to look for. He also specializes in doing very difficult pelvic surgery to remove cancerous tumors, so his surgical skill in doing difficult hysterectomies far exceeded my regular gyn's. I'm very thankful that she told me that her skill level didn't match his in this type of surgery (he actually trained her as a resident), and she wanted me to have the best possible result. Sometimes the best dr.'s are those who know when you need to be referred to someone else.

Just to be absolutely certain that no cancer was involved, he told me that he would dissect one of my abdominal lymph nodes during the surgery and send it to the pathologist while he was still doing the hyterectomy. If he found anything evenly vaguely suspicious when he got inside, he would remove all my abdominal lymph nodes in what's called a radical hysterectomy. But once he got in there, both he and his partner were totally sure that no cancer was present and that wasn't necessary. YAY!

So don't freak out - sometimes these tests are done to rule out cancer and even a slightly elevated CA 125 doesn't mean a thing. My dr. told me that the test is only a marker for cancer, not conclusive proof of it, and he doesn't even get concerned unless the numbers come back elevated into the hundreds. he said most women positively diagnosed with cancer have results in the thousands!

Sending you a cyberhug as you wait,
Arebella

Thanks for responding to me. I know I gotta wait and see, but that is the hard part .... waiting!

Hi Marshao,

I am in nearly exactly the same position. My mom has had both breast and ovarian cancer (OVCA just diagnosed in August). That puts me at risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. Because of her history I started getting screened with trans vaginal ultrasound and CA125 tests. I had a CA125 in late November and it came back 127! They repeated it 3 weeks later and it was 189!

I nearly went mad. My mother's CA-125 with stage 3 ovarian cancer was only 100! Now she is 75 and that far from menopause nearly any elevation is a cause for concern, I am told. I've had a CT scan, MRI and a PET scan, plus a colonoscopy. We've found a nice fibroid I didn't know I had, plus some small and normal looking cysts.

I've been to 2 gynocological oncologists. A wide number of benign conditions can cause the CA125 to go up. In premenopausal women, interpreting the test is apparently even harder. My gyn oncologists tells me that he has seen high elevations for non-cancerous conditions, but that usually it does go down after a few weeks. Given my family history we are monitoring my CA125 2 more times. If it stays elevated, I go to the castle for an exploratory lap and probably a TAH/BSO on 1/25/02.

I am not a doctor, but I do know that these tests are very hard to interpret. Stay on top of your medical care and get a second opinion if you have any doubts about the recomended course of action.

Best wishes,

DorrieL

Hi Again!

I found this article on line and thought you may find it helpful:

http://www.gotomydoc.com/education/cancer/learn/CA125/

I am VERY new to this site, today actually and I am so thankful to have found it. I took a ca 125 2 months ago after I was diagnosed with fibroid's and it came back 97, which is high, then the doctor put me on depolupron and I took another one a month later, it had dropped to 87. After a lot of researching I've found that fibroids, cysts, infections can all cause a false high reading on this. PLEASE don't be afraid, I was there where you are now, a cat scan is a breeze, no problem. My cat scan only confirmed what the ultrasound did, that I have fibroids. I am going on 12-28 for my surgery and I'm scared, but this site has eased my mind up a lot. Don't let the "C" word scare you!
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Margaret