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However.....
This is where sometimes having a track record from past blood testing may be helpful, and is part of why a fair number of patients here try to have the tumor markers tested regularly. You may already be doing that. If you are on the fence, it can not only give you some indication of what to do next, but also add some creditibility or justification in discussing the options with your providers.
Early stagers can get the CA 15-3 or alternatively the CA 27.29.
Late stagers can get those plus the HER2 serum test.
Having them done on a regular basis before a question comes up helps by giving you some idea what the readings normally are.
Also, even though you are thinking lung, looking at the alk-phos, AST and ALT from the usual blood tests can help too if there is something going on with the bones as well that has not yet been picked up.
Hope this helps you and perhaps others to understand some of the rationale for using markers, even though they are not infallible. They are just additional pieces of information to help with decision-making.
AlaskaAngel
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