Confusing CA 19 levels

fentonchickadee · New User Joined: 05 Jan 2009 Posts: 2

I am new to this forum and would love some input on my mom's pancreatic cancer CA 19 levels. She was diagnosed with "PC" after a CT of abdomen for hernia. The mass was 2.5 cm in tail of pancreas. They did a modified whipple on 1/1/07. She did have one lymph node involved. She then had chemo and radiation for the next 6-8 months. Preop CA 19 level was 398. After surgery her CA 19 level did drop to below 30. Her CA 19 levels have consistantly risen from 75 to 120 to 175 to 419. Hospice was initiated and they did a CA 19 last week and it came back as 219. This is very confusing as my mom's health has not improved. Has anyone else had this type of fluctuation this far after chemo and radiation?

brainman · Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Confusing CA 19 levels

fentonchickadee, I am sorry about your mother's Pancreatic Cancer. Unfortunately, Pancreatic Cancers are one of the worse cancers a person can have because of the significant impact on quality of life and the low percentage of people who ever achieve any thing close to remission. It is a hard fight just to survive a few years.

You might want to read the blog of a man who inspired me a lot as an active member of this community until just a few days before his death:

http://diehlmartin.com/cancer.html

You and your mother are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=2405
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=2528
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 3: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Twitter: @JimHawkins54
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/James.Hawking54?ref=profile

fentonchickadee · New User Joined: 05 Jan 2009 Posts: 2

Thanks for your kind words. I read the blog you indicated and what a marvelous man with his story of hope, love & peace at the end!
My mom is 76 and she has always been so "spunky"....She is just so tired almost all the time now....except that yesterday she finally got to go to the casino and play "black jack". She had been really wanting to try to do this for a long time but has been too weak. She actually won $585.00! She was so thrilled! I think this little adventure kind of put a little spark back in to her life. Funny how sometimes just the smallest little things give us such joy. Hearing how well her day went made me feel as good as if I had won the lottery!!

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