CA 125 Happy Ending

After my friend's initial scare with elevated CA-125 levels, she had a CT scan which was negative for swollen lympnodes.

So fast forward 1 month and she did another blood test. This time her CA-125 level had increased from 68 to 101. Well 101 is usually her lucky number but not this time. Panic.

It's worth pointing out here that one reading higher than the other doesn't mean there's been an increase. There's a lot of fluctuation throughout the menstrual cycle and just taking the test a bit closer to ovulation can give you a high number.

The GP figured it was endometriosis. The gynie figured it was endometriosis. Every medical person I canvassed figured it was endometriosis.

"With Ovarian Cancer, you're looking at readings of 500 plus." Well that's not what I read on the net but the feedback was comforting. However, a risk remained and the gynie said she'd need to do a laproscopy to be sure.

This happened yesterday. The result? As predicted, there was a bit of endometriosis but that wasn't the culprit. Apparently the elevated CA-125 levels are being caused by a cyst on the uterus. This hadn't been detected by any of the pelvic scans. It's benign and can't be removed without doing a hysterectomy so it stays. The cyst on her ovary is also benign. Turns out it's not a dermoid - perhaps an endometrioma.

I guess she'll always have to live with high CA-125 levels now as the source couldn't be removed. Otherwise it's a good outcome.

Labels: personal