I just had an operation for colon cancer and I was told before surgery that all the cancer would be removed during the operation. Meanwhile, I still have increased CEA, even after the operation. What is going on? Can you tell me what this means? Is this an indication that the cancer is not gone yet?
If CEA levels are abnormally high be4 surgery or other treatment, it is expected to fall to normal following successful surgery to remove all of the cancer. If u were told that all the cancer would be removed, surely it would've been. I know other things can elevate CEA levels such as smoking and infection. Non cancerous causes of elevated CEA levels usually do not exceed 10ng/ml.