CEA results

I just got my CEA results from last week, Oct. 5th. I didn't really want to see them since I had disease progression and have more little sites of cancer. I expected it to be at least 75, up from 50.9 in August, I think.

So, today, after the nurse accessed my port, I asked her to see if we had CEA results. And surprise surprise! IT WENT DOWN! My CEA is 41.6, and this was BEFORE the Abraxane.

But as I mentioned in an earlier post, the big tumors in my left armpit and my left lung really didn't get bigger. I think this means that the t-cell therapy worked on the large tumors that were present, but since the immunotherapy is not completely ramped up (and won't be until winter or spring), the t-cells aren't in enough numbers to attack the new little sites of cancer. Thus the Abraxane.

So, good news, I think.

I am waiting on lab results at the moment before getting the Abraxane. The surgeon, Dr. F will debride the wound tomorrow. Mount Herminator is looking more like an eagle's beak, with the high mountain overhanging a cave. Total weirdness. The body is an amazing weird thing, you know. Now that the infection is gone, my good spirits are back, and so is my energy. I like that. I can handle the wound. The needle stick today was easy. The port is less sore now. Life is good.

Here is the history. Anything 3.8 or less is "normal".
I just had my blood drawn today - we hadn't checked my CEA results for over 4 weeks.  The number went up to 50.9, from 44.3 last time. 

Dang!  But another argument for starting a new treatment. Here's my history:

CEA
1/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
3/2008 - 0.9 ng/mL
6/2008 - 1.0 ng/mL
8/2008 - 1.1 ng/mL (need to double check this number, but it was in that 0.9 to 1.2 range)
9/2008 - 0.5 ng/mL
10/2008 - 0.9 ng/mL
10/31/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
11/28/2008 - 1.2 ng/mL
12/30/2008 - 1.1 ng/mL
3/2/2009 - 1.4 ng/mL
4/8/2009 - 1.6 ng/mL
5/5/2009 - 1.9 ng/mL
6/4/2009 - 3.0 ng/mL
7/2/2009 - 3.7 ng/mL
8/3/2009 - 4.2 ng/mL
8/31/2009 - 5.1 ng/mL
10/2/2009 - 5.7 ng/mL (or was it 5.8?)
11/2/2009 - 7.6 ng/mL
11/30/2009 - 10.5 ng/mL
12/28/2009 - 13.2 ng/mL
3/8/2010 - 22.9 ng/mL
4/22/2010 - 28.9 ng/mL
6/7/2010 - 46.3 ng/mL
7/19/2010 - 44.3 ng/mL
8/19/2010 - 50.9 ng/mL
10/05/2010 - 41.6 ng/mL

We like downward trending numbers! : )