CA-125 down to "25" is this a good sign?

Question

This happened after her 4th chemo, instead of her 3rd (4th it was down to 125). So is 25 (in the normal range) good? I'm wondering what happens next besides chemo and if in general you start to 'get better' as crazy as that sounds (i.e., she can eventually get out of the hospital now).

Answer 1

Yes, it is an excellent sign that her CA-125 is down. As she gets further along in her treatment the CA-125 should continue to decline.

I was 41 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. I had surgery and I was out of the hospital by the eighth day. Each person is different so some people stay in the hospital longer. I opted not to have my 1st round of chemotherapy in the hospital although the doctor highly recommended it so I was out of the hospital sooner.

I had 18 rounds of traditional IV chemotherapy. The first 6 treatments were every 6 weeks and the last 12 treatments were every 4 weeks. The beginning was tough because I had a lot of side effects: nausea, vomiting, lack of energy, neuropathy, falling down, etc. However, I tried to keep myself active (family, friends, dog, church, taking a class at the community college) as much as possible so I would think and do something else so I wouldn't get down on myself and get depressed.

In addition, I recommend the following:
1) See a nutritionist: maximize nutrient intake by eating. I didn't really like getting the shots between treatments so I did whatever I could to increase my blood counts.
2) If you are having trouble w/your veins- get a port a cathater. It is better to get it sooner than later. (Sometimes my IV lines were on my hands and wrist which was really painful). Having the port made the IV infusion so much easier. The drawback of getting a port-a-cat, is that it needs to be flushed every month. When she's having her monthly treatments, the port gets flushed. It's after the treatments are finished that the port-a-cat needs to get flushed. Otherwise, it will get clogged. I had my last chemo in November, but my doctor does not want to remove the Port-a-Cat because the cancer will probably return so the Port-a cat will probably be used again.
3) Have a support person that has undergone simillar treatments
4) Avoid people who are sick. It didn't take very long to pick up viruses, colds, etc.
5) Eat healthier.
6) Enjoy and appreciate life.

Anyways, I wasn't sure if she's having IP (Intraperitoneal therapy) or IV therapy. I have read that IP therapy has more side effects than the traditional IV therapy. However, if the cancer is advanced stage 3 or 4, IP is the way to go.

Also age has a lot to do with the side effects. The younger you are the easier it is for the liver to metabolize the drug and eliminate it from the body. The older you are, the slower the metabolism of the liver and possibly more side effects.

Anyways, there is light at the end of the tunnel and life will continue as always. Modify your lifestyle and do what you can do.