Special machines will check it for cancer.Ī normal result is typically less than 2.5 nanograms per milliliter. Soreness where the needle was placed in your arm.You may need to go to a hospital for these tests. Pleural (from the area next to the lungs).Sometimes doctors will test CEA levels in another bodily fluid, such as: You might feel a slight pinch or sting when the needle goes in. The doctor will place a needle into a vein in your arm to draw out the blood. Include vitamins, supplements, and medicines you bought without a prescription. Take aspirin or other drugs that might make you bleedĪlso let your doctor know about any drugs you take.You don't need to do anything ahead of time. After treatment to help find out whether the cancer has come back.During treatment to see how well chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or other therapies have worked.After your diagnosis to help your doctor find the right treatment.
This test can help your doctor plan and monitor your treatment once you know you have cancer. And some people with cancer don't have high CEA levels. This test isn't an accurate way to screen for it because many other diseases can cause the levels of this protein to rise. Your doctor might give you a CEA test if you're diagnosed with one of these cancers:ĭoctors don't use the CEA test to make a first-time diagnosis of cancer. It can also help tell how well your treatment has worked and predict your outlook. The test can often help predict whether the cancer is growing or spreading to other parts of your body. Your doctor can use CEA as a “marker” to learn more about your cancer. Healthy adults have a very low level, but some types of cancer can cause it to rise. Babies in the womb have high levels of it. What Can the Test Do?ĬEA is a type of protein in the body. This test helps your doctor find out if yours has grown and whether your treatment has worked. People with some types of cancers have higher than normal levels of this substance. One way they can do that is with a carcinoembryonic antigen test. It measures a protein called CEA in the blood.
Doctors don’t always see obvious signs of cancer growth after a diagnosis.
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