[KristinSchwick]

Hi all,
The Ca 27.29 test is not used to diagnose metastases, rather it is used after met disease has been documented and the docs need some way to determine whether the met. cancer is growing or shrinking.

Cancer does not just lie quiet, it grows, often very aggressively. Therefore unless your Ca27.29 numbers are increasing consistently or may be over 40, you shouldn't worry. The Ca27.29 test looks for the over abundance of a normal non cancerous protein, Muc1. Muc1 is often shed by breast cancer cells when they are rapidly growing. The presence of high Muc1 levels DOES NOT necessarily mean you have cancer or even met. cancer, however if you have other symptoms/tests- ie: pain, elevated liver enzymes, etc, then your doctor might have an idea of what maybe going on. As always, cancer can only be diagnosed by biopsies or high tech imaging.

For me personally, I never had Ca27.29 testing until I had a bone scan that showed bone mets in my back, which had been hurting for 2 weeks. When they tested it, the value was 99. Since that time, the numbers have fallen with my treatment, 76 and the 45.

Hope that clears things up and lessens the worries.