Yes.. and it is standard medical practice for Ovarian Cancer. It can indicate whether the cancer is active again and is normally done regularly for at least five years, after which time the risk of a recurrence is unlikely...

Other conditions can elevate CA125, but if you have already had OC it is an excellent marker for the disease..

PS. Three rises in succession would set the alarm bells ringing..

Thanks Halli. My sister was told that at the conclusion of her chemo (she has two rounds remaining) that she WILL NOT be having her CA125 tested.

This of course concerned her. She asked why not as wouldn't this be an indicator if her cancer returned. She was told that they would simply wait for symptoms to present themselves, and then test.

Wouldn't that be a little like closing the barn door after the horse has already gotten out??? Especially as she is part of a clinical drug trial where a potential side effect is the development of a different type of Cancer than what she originally had??

CA125 is only a marker for Ovarian Cancer..(possibly peritoneal cancer as well, but I'm not sure) I think you and your sister need a better explanation.. If her CA125 was high and has gone down with treatment then I think she should be tested for a rise after treatment.. but I'm no expert and there could be a rational reason as to why they don't think it would be useful in her case.. but I don't see that you have been given it yet.. Keep on pushing the issue until you are satisfied that it's the best way to go.. She certainly shouldn't be left feeling vulnerable and confused over it.. Best of luck with this one.. just keep on with this one till you have the answers you need to be able to move on confidently that all is being done as it should be.. Love to you both and I will be very interested to hear how this goes.. xxxxxx

My oncologist that just did my surgery said that even if my pathologies are clear from surgery he would want to check my Ca 125 and inhibin levels probably every 3 months then every 6 months. Bone density scans are important also to make sure she is getting enough calcium.
The surgeon that did my first surgery just said your a 1a and not to worry. Chemo is probably not going to be an issue for you. My second surgeon said lets do proper staging and then go from there. Post op monitoring he said is very important.

There is a clinical trial going on right now with the test Ovacheck I believe. Only women who have had ovarian cancer can be in this clinical trial. I was in the original study. The new technology is called proteomics and it's my understanding that it's 100% accurate in detecting ovarian cancer even in the early stages. I don't know why the FDA is holding this test up as it is non invasive only requiring a drop of blood. If it were me I would try and find out more about this trial however it's been awhile since I have heard anything about it.

I was told by my GYN oncologistthat my test done was normal before I even had surgery with stage 1c overian cancer. Now he says that the test does not work on some women. If there is anyone that knows about this please let me know.

http://www.medicinenet.com/ca_125/article.htm

Info on CA125 can be found on the site above.. Most women with a high CA125 don't have cancer at all and many women with OC don't have an elevated CA124... The link above explains it very well..

Love to all xxxxxx