The C125 blood test measures the amount of a specific cancer antigen protein that may be in your blood. It is often ordered to monitor the progress of certain cancers before and after a treatment plan has been implemented. It may also be ordered to look for the early signs of ovarian women who have high risks of developing the disease.
When used as a proactive screening tool, it isn’t accurate enough to be considered a definitive method of determining if ovarian cancer is present. Women may have several conditions that are not cancer related that can also cause a positive C125 blood test to occur. Something as normal as menstruation can cause a positive test. Uterine fibroids may also cause a positive result, as well as other cancers that may be present.
Why Is the C125 Blood Test Ordered?
Your doctor may order the C125 blood test for a wide variety of reasons, based on your unique medical history. It may be ordered because of physical symptoms that you are experiencing now or because of your past medical history and the risks you have of developing certain diseases.
1. To check for cancer recurrence. If you have had cancer in the past that has gone into remission, then this blood test can help a doctor to see if the cancer has returned.
2. To screen for ovarian cancers. For women who are at a high risk of having cancer, regular screenings, combined with ultrasounds, are proactive interventions that can help to catch a cancer in its early stages.
3. To monitor a treatment plan. The C125 blood test is one of the most effective methods of tracking the results of a cancer treatment.
Just having the blood test ordered does not mean that there will be an increase in the effectiveness of your treatment. Regular monitoring has not been shown to improve outcomes at all. In some specific instances, it is even believed that false positives may cause women to undergo unnecessary chemotherapy or radiation treatments for a cancer that is not even present.
If the C125 blood test does come back with positive results, a biopsy may also be ordered. This usually occurs if a tumor or other mass has already been discovered because of an ultrasound that has been performed.
How Do You Prepare For the C125 Blood Test?
There are no specific requirements in place for this particular blood test. You are allowed to eat and drink normally before the blood draw. Most of the time, the blood will be taken from a vein in the arm and then the sample will be sent off to be analyzed. This process only takes a few minutes from start to finish and can often be scheduled at the start of the day so that work or personal activities do not need to be affected.
If the blood test has been scheduled around when your normal menstruation cycle is scheduled to arrive, then speak with your doctor about delaying the test. Having a screening at this time can create false results that may take your doctor in a different diagnostic direction than necessary. This may mean a delay in a confirmed diagnosis and extra screening and exam costs that may or may not be covered by your healthcare plan.
What Do the Results of the C125 Blood Test Mean?
The normal value of this blood test is less than 35 U/mL. Any result that is lower than this is considered to be a negative result.
Results that are higher than this will be considered positive. It may or may not be a medically significant result. It could mean that you have a benign condition or it could mean that you have 1 of 4 types of cancers that can be tested from this panel. Most positive results result in a doctor ordering follow-up tests to determine the exact cause of blood test findings.
A positive C125 blood test can even just be an indication that you may be pregnant.
If you have already been diagnosed with cancer, then a decreasing result over time is often an indicator that the cancer treatments are working. Rising results are often an indicator that a cancer treatment is not effective or that a relapse has occurred.
A positive result on your C125 blood test is not necessarily negative information. Use this information to speak to your doctor about your results, ask questions about your past medical history, and you will be able to get the information about your health that you want.