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Old 09-23-2006, 05:25 PM   #3
chrisy
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Central Coast, CA
Posts: 3,207
Hi Cindee,
AST is normally found in a diversity of tissues including liver, heart, MUSCLE, kidney, and brain and is released into the bloodstream when any one of these tissues is damaged. It is not a highly specific indicator of livery injury.

ALT is a fairly specific indicator of liver status, but elevation of this enzyme could be caused by medications, alcohol, or exposure to toxins. It's hard not to think the worst, but there could be other causes.

So your elevated AST and ALT enzymes do merit additional testing, which you are getting, to find out what the problem is. You need more information, so try not to worry too much while you are waiting for it. I know this is MUCH more easily said than done

FYI, when I was diagnosed with extensive liver mets in 9/04, my ALT and AST were both very comfortably within the normal range...and those numbers climbed as the tumors shrunk with chemo!

So, you don't know what these numbers mean! Maybe nothing - and I hope that your CT scan confims this.

Don't forget to breathe...

take care,
Chris
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Chris in Scotts Valley
June 2002 extensive hi grade DCIS (pre-cancer-stage 0, clean sentinal node) Mastectomy/implant - no chemo, rads. "cured?"
9/2004 Diag: Stage IV extensive liver mets (!) ER/PR- Her2+++
10/04-3/05 Weekly Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin , complete response!
04/05 - 4/07 Herception every 3 wks, Continue NED
04/07 - recurrence to liver - 2 spots, starting tykerb/avastin trial
06/07 8/07 10/07 Scans show stable, continue on Tykerb/Avastin
01/08 Progression in liver
02/08 Begin (TDM1) trial
08/08 NED! It's Working! Continue on TDM1
02/09 Continue NED
02/10 Continue NED. 5/10 9/10 Scans NED 10/10 Scans NED
12/10 Scans not clear....4/11 Scans suggest progression 6/11 progression confirmed in liver
07/11 - 11/11 Herceptin/Xeloda -not working:(
12/11 Begin MM302 Phase I trial - bust:(
03/12 3rd times the charm? AKT trial

5/12 Scan shows reduction! 7/12 More reduction!!!!
8/12 Whoops...progression...trying for Perjeta/Herceptin (plus some more nasty chemo!)
9/12 Start Perjeta/Herceptin, chemo on hold due to infection/wound in leg, added on cycle 2 &3
11/12 Poops! progression in liver, Stop Perjeta/Taxo/Herc
11/12 Navelbine/Herce[ptin - try for a 3 cycles, no go.
2/13 Gemzar/Carbo/Herceptin - no go.
3/13 TACE procedure
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