[tousled1]

Christine,

My oncologist has been giving me the HER2 Serum test every 12 weeks since it was FDA approved for advanced breast cancer. My tumor marker tests were never reliable. At dignosis of Stage IIIc my tumor marker was 15.3. It went as high as 30.1 during A/C treatment and then dropped back down to 15.1 where it is has has been since.

I feel that if it weren't for the HER2 Serum test I still would not know that I had lung mets. My baseline before starting Herceptin was 10.1. While on Herceptin it gradually decreased until it got to 6.3 where it stayed. Late June of this year when I had the HER2 serum test done it was up to9.5. My oncologist wasn't concerned since it was still below the normal of 15. I told her I didn't like that it went up so quick after stopping Herceptin (end of April). I was due for my annual brain MRI and she also ordered a CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Low and behold we found lung mets -- numberous nodules in both lungs but none larger than 1cm. Also found a 5mm brain nodule. If it weren't for the HER2 serum test my mets would have gone undected until such time as I developed symptoms.