The Next Three Month Checkup... (A Cancer Update)

Has it really been three months already?  If you remember, I provided a cancer update on March 4, 2014. It's time for another.

Today, I met with my oncologist to discuss my most recent test results. This time I did not have an MRI or a CT scan, but instead had a CA 125 test.  What is CA 125 you ask?  Good question.

The CA 125 (Cancer antigen 125) is a protein which is a so-called tumor marker. Apparently this protein occurs in greater numbers when there is a tumor present. The most common use of the test is the monitoring of people with a known cancer that elevates CA 125 level, which includes ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal and fallopian tube cancers. In someone who is known to have a malignancy, the CA 125 level is periodically monitored. A decreasing level generally indicates that therapy, including chemotherapy, has been effective, while an increasing level indicates tumor recurrence. Small changes are usually not considered significant. A doubling or halving of the previous value would be important.

Normal levels for CA 125 is less than 30 U/ml. Good news, my level is currently at 16 U/ml, which is about the same as the last time it was monitored (15 U/ml). What we take away from this result is that more than likely the lung nodules are still stable.

What happens next? It's another 3 months of waiting. Joy! In September, I will have another CA 125 test and CT scan. Until then, life goes on.

For those of you who wondered about the never ending headache that I experienced from January until March, I don't actually have an answer.  One day, it just went away and never came back. <shrug> C'est la vie!