How significant is a rise in my CA 125 if it is still below the “magic” level of 35 kU/ml?
Cyndee, Pennsylvania, USA: My doctor told me that many things can cause the CA 125 to increase – an infection, a cold etc. What I was told is that they watch to see if there is a rising trend in the CA 125 levels. For example, say yours was twelve last time, and this time it is 21. If it goes down next time, they won’t worry about it. If you have another CA 125 sample done and it increases again, they may want to do some tests. If you are concerned, you should speak with your doctor about it and get a professional opinion. What I might do if I were you is call my gynecologic oncologist and ask what the next plan of action is. Personally, I believe my doctors and I are a team, and our goal is to see me through the “cancer experience” and make my quality of life the best it can possibly be. Another option may be to request a second opinion, or have a PET scan done. In any case I would be proactive about this and keep pushing until I was satisfied with their answers; after all, it is your
