CA125 blood test

[pishi1]

Can anyone advise me what to expect from this blood test? I am not sure what this test is looking for?

Thanks

Angela

[Yoshbosh]

In a broad sense, CA125 can be used to identify if there is a potential problem with the ovaries, but what it doesn't do is specify exactly what the problem might be. There are a number of conditions which cause it to be elevated, and these are the investigated by the doctors to reach a diagnosis. Does that help?

[pishi1 in reply to Yoshbosh]

Thank you. I had both ovaries out so not sure now.

[Yoshbosh in reply to pishi1]

I believe it can still be used to monitor e.g. a recurrence in ovarian cancer, or checking the levels are still low after treatment. That's what a lot of ladies here have it for. Once I finish chemo, my onc has said we will continue to use CA125 as part of the monitoring process.

[Hidden]

A CA 125 is done to see if levels are raised, it will be done whether or not you have ovaries, It is a measure of protein in blood for OC, It is more reliable for monitoring on treatment than for a recurrence, the normal 125 is about 35 but an increase over this may not mean a lot either

[pishi1 in reply to Hidden]

Ok thanks now I understand.

[IrishMollyO]

Hi Angela

Many oncologists will not go by it as it can show a false positive or a false negative . Some may have a raised level and not have Cancer and others have a normal count and still have Cancer. That is a certain percentage of women . Scans and symptoms are what they go by. I first heard of it when it was done to confirm my diagnosis after all the scans etc. In fact my GP had secretly done it as she suspected OC from my symptoms. I have PPC. My count was over 8000 which came back to normal as treatment progressed. For many women their teams do it regularly to check for recurrence and for some like me the oncologist won't do it regularly as they claim it will make women anxious. ! In the end it was my GP who did it and it showed a climbing CA125 and a scan confirmed it had recurred .

It will never be used as part of a screening test because of its " inaccuracy" . So I guess Angela it depends on your oncologist but it's best to be informed of the minuses and pluses. Good luck with everything

XXX

[Decca4Ever]

Before diagnosis, if it's raised, it's a reason to investigate further. But one test with a higher level than normal isn't very reliable. Other conditions cause a raised level, especially with younger women. I've even heard of a male doctor who turned out to have a high Ca125!

I had a reading of 130, but it was only a Borderline tumour and it was raised because the tumour was rubbing against other organs. It went back to normal as soon as the tumour was removed. I'm still being monitored even though I had ovaries and uterus removed.

There's been some recent research showing that a series of three tests with an upward trend is more reliable. They're trying to find out if it would be cost-effective to introduce screening for post-menopausal women.

After diagnosis and treatment, it's a good indicator for some women, but not for all.

Try not to worry. It's a standard test.