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Is CA 15-3 over 500 a breast cancer spread indicator for mom?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My mother has been receiving breast cancer treatment for the past five years.

Recently, she went for the blood test, and her results for tumor marker CA 15-3 exceeded 500 U/mL.

  1. Is it bad?
  2. Has her cancer spread?

I am concerned.

Please help.
Answered by Dr. Arshad Hussain Shah

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

Cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) is a tumor marker. Its range is raised. It is alarming and highly suspicious to have the recurrence of previously treated breast cancer. So it is better to repeat the test.

So, she must consult her oncologist soon, and she may need to undergo a series of investigations like PET (positron emission tomography) or CT (computed tomography) scan, blood tests, bone scan, and mammogram. After seeing the results, all the doubts will be cleared soon.

I hope this information helps you.

Feel free to reach out in case of further queries.

Thank you.

Answered byDr. Arshad Hussain Shah

Medically reviewed byDr. K. Shobana

Published At October 3, 2018
Reviewed AtDecember 3, 2025

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Dr. Arshad Hussain Shah

Medical oncology

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