[chrisy]

Hi,

The possible answers to your question (about the markers) are many, ranging from it depends, to yes, no, maybe and everything in between.

I'm not making light of the panic at all, I can feel it in your post. My point is, markers do bounce up and down for many reasons, and for some people are not too useful at all.

If you get a history that this or that marker is meaningful for you, then what is important to look at is a trend, not one movement up or down.

As your oncologist pointed out, sometimes effective treatments can make the markers rise as those cancer cells die.

I have only in the past year found markers that are significant for us to follow, and the one that is most useful isn't even a breast cancer marker. Go figure. But even tho I know and believe what I just told you, I am feeling crazed myself and asking how often should I get these done? I think if I got them weekly my brains would explode but still I'm asking at!

So , time will tell what your markers mean and as my onc says "the proof is in the pudding" so having the scan will probably be most useful.

Easy to say, hard to do I know, but remember you are dealing with tiny tiny met, and it sounds like you have a GREAT oncologist who is both on the ball, but working with you, against the cancer on multiple fronts. You seem to bein very good hands.

They to remember to breathe, and good luck on you scans!