[AlaskaAngel]

DianneS,

When looking over your cancer characteristics it seemed to me that yours and mine are similar (other than that your tumor was larger). So... even though a comparison with me is just a comparison with one person, I thought I would mention it.

At the time of completing treatment my markers were at the high end of normal, and gradually over the 7 years since then they settled down, and have stayed in the lower end of normal. They are a measurement of inflammation and for some they work as a very rough measuring stick and for some they don't.

I consider myself fortunate in that my PCP lets me have them because over time they created enough of a history that I can use them as just one more tool to consider. Even if they changed to abnormal I would not assume it meant a return of the cancer. Inflammation can be caused by too many things, including being overweight, having some other disease problem, eating a poor diet, etc.

If there were other indications for a return of cancer in addition, then to me the markers would mean something more if they too were abnormal.

Many people who tend to be anxious or who are at higher risk for a return of cancer do not want markers done, or don't want their doctors to tell them the results, and I can understand that too.

Hope that helps.

AlaskaAngel