can decadron raise tumor markers?

[nvsavin]

Hi everyone. You all are always so helpful. My mother has been on herceptin for almost 4 years, after metastases to her liver. Her body has been clear until a year ago when she developed brain mets (rest of the body still clear). She had WBR and gamma. It's been a year and all is well, knock on wood. Her most recent MRI showed slight enlargement of one lesion that was previously treated, but the neurosurgeon believes it to be necrosis. However, for the first time in a year her CA 27-29 has gone from <15 to 19.6. Her CEA, which was indicative of her brain mets last year, has remained stable at 1.0. She has been taking decadron for the last 3 weeks because of some edema in her brain. What is going on? Could there be cancer hiding somewhere? or could decadron cause this, or what? I know it's probably too soon to be worrying so much, but . . .