HCG level

[kris790]

I am a patient in remission of Stage III Seminoma cancer. In January 2004 my illness was detected and I had 2 lymph nodes in retroperitoneum occupied (7 and 5 cm) and supraclavicular node. I had 4 BEP (but Bleomycin only during cycles) and my lymph nodes decreased to residual, but my illness recurred in January 2005 in mediastinum and another supraclavicular node. I had 4 BEP and radiation of my abdomen, pelvis, mediastinum and supraclavicular nodes. My nodes in mediastinum decreased from 6
cm to about 2 cm and my supraclavicular node disappeared. I am supervised regularly (CT of abdomen and mediastinum every 3 months) and everything is ok. I have a doubt concerning my Beta HCG marker - I had it checked yestarday and it was 0,01 miU/ml, while it was 0,00 miU/ml in June and October 2005. When my disease was detected in 2004 it was 0,00 miU/ml and 0,74 miU/ml in 2005. Could you explain what such small number as 0,01 miU/ml mean and could it be recurrence despite such intense treatment?

[AdrianB1971]

Strange

The normal range for bHCG is <= 5 mIU/mL !!! Your cancer does not produce bHCG. What about AFP level ?? If the AFP level was normal too, then you have a rare type of cancer witch does not produce tumor markers and only the imagistic tehniques is the main option of surveillance.

The main threat of such intense treatment (2 series of 4xBEP) is the adaptation of cancer cells to platinum based chemo

[kris790]

Thank you for the message. My AFP level is always below 3, so it is ok. Seminoma cancer is a cancer, which has never abnormal AFP and in only 15 % abnormal bHCG. On the other hand I had anaplastic seminoma (which tends to spread a little faster and has more mitotic figures in histopathologic test).

I only based on one web page where it was written that a normal level of bHCG for a man is 0 ng/ml, http://training.seer.cancer.gov/modu...r_markers.html

however it is very strange for me and rather false