Elevated CEA

[lit14]

I am a 54yo female and I feel like I am in good health.  In September 06 my CEA was found to be elevated (15.5) on blood work ordered for a life insurance policy.  I had a CT scan, pelvic ultrasound and endocscopy which were all negative. ( I had just had a colonscopy earlier that year.that showed diverticulitis and had one polyp removed and was told to be retested in 10 years)  Further testing continued to show an increased CEA, the highest being 18.9.  A PET scan was done in April 07 and only showed a small spot which my ENT doctor felt was do to my GERD sind I had no symptoms of any other problems.  Since then I have had CEA's done every 3 months. The CEA seemed to be going down, the lowest being 10.5 but this last one was 19.4.  I am not sure what to think.  One part of me feels that my CEA will always be elevated and maybe always has been.  Then another part of me is scared there is something very wrong.  Any thoughts on this?

[lit14]

Thanks for your response.  I agree.  I wish I had never had this test but what is done is done.  Since I do not know of any condition that I have other than IBS I hope that I am just one of those that have an unexplained elevated CEA.  My daughter has crohns but there was no evidence of this on my colonoscopy.  This past test was done at a different lab than most of the previous ones so I am hoping that part of the increased value might be just variables with the lab testing.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi. I think it is unfortunate that your life insurance doctor did not use CEA correctly.  CEA CANNOT BE USED TO SCREEN for cancer.  Its proper use is to establish recurrence of a previously diagnosed colorectal cancer or to monitor response of colorectal cancer to treatment.  It can also be elevated in various non-cancerous conditions such as pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis and ulcerative colitis, that's why it's not used for screening.