Obsessed with tumor marker number?

[hutchibk]

Elevation after one lab is not to be worried about. They can jump around.

As I was told, if 3 readings keep inching (or jumping) up up up, then I would start looking for the cause.

I, personally, have been very sensitive to TMs, so a 15.3 or 27.29 (similar TMs) are very very meaningful for me, even though I have NEVER had any symptoms and have felt great. I hover in 'under normal' ranges, too, even when they have inched up over three consecutive labs. Because of that, we have found spots really early (especially brain spots without any symptoms) and been able to treat them successfully when they are small. I am kinda lucky that way.

All that said, NOT everyone is sensitive at all to TMs. A lot of folks have them bounce around and rise and fall over more than 3 labs, and they have nothing at all going on. A lot of folks don't have lab readings tell them anything.

Best wishes! (JMHO, I would push for them for at least 3 labs - about 1 or 6 weeks apart - and if they have continued to inch up, I have scans, PETs and brain MRIs done...)

[StephN]

Dear KS -

In studying your signature, it looks like you have had bone mets only.

My expereience with so many women on this site is that the tumor markers are not normally sensitive to bone mets or nodes only involvement. It seems that those with organ mets are the most sensitive.

This is just a generality from years of reading these boards. But I think you can look this up and find the same info elsewhere.

Thus, if you do not have other mets besides bone, I am curious as to your high marker.

This is another reason I would think that a HER2 Serum Elisa would make sense for you.

Brain mets are usually sensitive to CEA, which not many people use either.

Perhaps there is another type of circulating tumor cell test that would put to rest what is going on in your blood.

[chrisy]

Lots of perfect answers. For me, mostly markers have not been meaningfully accurate. So we did not track them. The main one that ever worked was 19.9 not even a bc marker ( but made some sense as I had liver involvement),,, lasT summer there were a lot of changes so we began tracking them, and the seem to have followed what was going on since December. I've had a bit of bouncing around tho.

I have scans on Tuesday, and as my onc says the proof is in the pudding. She agreed to run occasional markers as long as I promised not to needlessly freak out about them.

It's different for everyone of course. I like Debbie L and mnt girls advice.
Wise women