Seven

I had an appt. with my gynecologic oncologist for the last time before my last chemotherapy on June 1st.

I will continue to see him every three months for the next year, every 6 months the following year and every...well, I lost track how often after that.
It appears he wants to break up with me, albeit very slowly.

I will still be going to have blood drawn for labs. The CA-125 being an important blood test.
Normal CA-125 level is anything up to 35.
My level was 305, pre-surgery.
My last level was 7, post 5 chemo treatments.

The CA-125 is a so called tumor marker. It is not all that reliable in detecting ovarian cancer.
Many women who have elevated levels do not have ovarian cancer. There are other processes that may cause elevated CA-125 levels.
On the other hand, a low level does not necessarily mean you don't have ovarian cancer.
We need a more accurate test to detect ovarian cancer in the early stage.

For those of us who have been diagnosed correctly with ovarian cancer through a pelvic exam, ultrasound and CT scan, the CA-125 is useful in monitoring how well the treatments are working.
So far, mine are working well.

For more information on CA-125 from Johns Hopkins, click here.