Elevated CA 15-3 for my mom

pp729 · December 2018

Hi all, I have not been on this board in a long time as my mom will be 8 years out in January 2019. However, her annual tumor marker was slightly elevated (29.4) and her physician is referring her back to her oncologist. She has had a rough month -- swelling in her right arm and wrist (ultrasound showed no blood clot so she is being referred to a lymphdema specialist). And in the ER two weeks ago for awful stomach virus. So, the test results this week have sent her over the edge, and I get that. What should we expect when the oncologist calls?

SkiChick86 · December 2018

Hi pp729,

I found this post because my own CA 15-3 was recently elevated (27.8). I found this when seeing an integrative care doc for a second opinion and they ordered a CT which came back clean. My regular oncologist wasn't worried about it at all.

First and foremost, 29.4 is barely an elevation at all. Many labs use 30 as the cutoff. Second of all, lots of other benign factors can cause a jump in tumor markers, including viruses. My guess is your mom's difficult month is more likely to have played a role in the elevation than cancer. I would be surprised if your mom's oncologist wants to do anything at all - he may just say to check it again in a few months.

All that being said, I'm working hard to follow my own advice here, so I definitely understand the stress your mom is facing. Sending love her way, and here's hoping its absolutely nothing.

pp729 · December 2018

Thanks SkiChick86, I too wondered if her being sick only a week or so before the blood test could be a contributing factor...will see what the oncologist says. Meanwhile, I appreciate your advise and your kind words for my mom.

Elevated CA 15-3 for my mom

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