Tumor marker

Hello. This isn't about me but is about my friend who suffered UC for 20 years and who was diagnosed with rectal cancer stage 1 two years ago and had j-pouch surgery.

She gets blood work done every 3 months and did a tumor marker this past February and last month. She had a higher than average number in February and had a CT scan done but there was no sign of cancer. All they found was a tiny lump in her breast but found that it wasn't cancer after further testing.

She then had a tumor marker done in April (last month) and once again, the number was higher than average. She's really worried. Could this mean that cancer is forming somewhere?

Thank you for the input. I appreciate it. Yes, I just googled CEA test and read that many things can elevate the number, including smoking. I know that my friend drinks alcohol from time to time (and I had told her to cut it down!). Her mother is ill in the hospital now so I worry about her and have been wondering how I can be of support to her.

I've been getting very good blood test results these past 6 months, although I had suffered from dehydration and low iron count in the past. I want to e-mail her but am afraid to mention that my results are very good since she's been asking.

I also get tested every 3 months but like you, it's always remained low for the past 3 years (praying it will stay that way...). So, even if you're out of treatment, is it that you'll still continue getting tested semi-annually?

I'm pretty healthy now but I'm constantly fearing cancer, although mine was only stage 1, and to this day it stresses me out and I often wonder how other people deal with the mental aspect of it.