CA-125 (ovarian cancer)?

My mother has been suffering from ovarian cancer for about 25 yrs. now. She has had about 50 surgery's for different things, she's had chemo, but the cancer type she has is slow growing and chemo does no good. If she has more surgery, she could die on the table. Her CA-125 leval is above 1400. I want to know exactly how bad this is, especially lately she has been getting a lot worse. I want to know the differnt stages and meanings and does anyone know how high the CA-125 can go b4 I loose her? I am afraid it will be within the next year or so and I wanna be prepared.

The ranges for CA-125 vary depending on the lab. Most consider anything 35 U/ml or below to be normal. The reason the CA-125 level is of particular importance in your mothers case is b/c it is a determinant of the progress of treatment. I really do not like saying this but with a CA-125 level above 1400 U/ml it does not look good at this point. But, that may change depending upon her responsiveness to more or other treatments. As you already know ovarian cancer is a toughy. There are four stages of ovarian cancer along with sub-stages. I really am hesitant to even attempt to say anything about her prognosis since I do not have access to her records,etc. I will say this, she sounds like a true fighter to have suffered with this disease for 25 years. I wish you both the very best.

Lisa

Most women do not live beyond the five year survival rate after diagnosis, so your mom has been a survivor of Ovarian Cancer and is lucky to have had it diagnosed 25 years ago. I think you mean your mom cannot take anymore surgery or she may die on the table. Chemo is very destructive to our bodies and over a long period of time it will no longer be available to the treatment because it will only cause more harm than good.
1400 is a very high level of CA-125 the range should be lowering by any level to see progress of disease lessoning. The normal level is like 70 and that is ranging toward the higher end of normal. At any rate, you are looking for something that even her doctors cannot give her and that is a life expectancy. Your mom has been fighting for her life for the past 25 years and only God knows when her time is to go Home. The staging and their meanings are not really going to help. If the disease has metestasized then it is most like untreatable. Your mom may not have given you all the information she has received from her doctors. She is only trying to protect her family. Respect her wishes and spend as much time as you can with her and say everything that you would like her to hear. There is no telling when she will go, but a battle with cancer for 25 years is most exhausting. So, prepare yourself and love your mom and spend the time with her now and ask her all the things you want to know. Like stories from her childhood, young adulthood, marraige and whatever else you may like her to share with you.
God Bless!

It's level is not harbinger of survival ! , but unfortunately a raised CA-125 in combination with chemoresistancy is a poor prognostic sign . No body can say when you will loose her! , but if it's possible , surgery and radiotherapy (combined) is indicated in your mom's new situation .