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Re: Tumor Markers
Cal-Gal, I see you were due to have TM'ers ran again on 12-11-09. Have you found out what they were yet?
Jackie is right that tumor markers aren't very reliable...and many onc's won't run them. But for people like Brenda, myself and so many others I know of...they work really well. My markers slowly creep up for a yr and thats when we found my recurrence. I know for me TMs are very reliable. In fact after I had my first loading dose of Herceptin after my recurrence...my TM's were down instantly. So for some they work great...and others they are worthless.
Let us know when you get your labs back. I hope all is well. There are many benign reasons for them to climb...so hopefully it's nothing.
Chelee
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DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes.
Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs.
Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06
Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07
3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07
9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV.
9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa
9-29-09 Power Port Placement
10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head.
11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed
12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa.
3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed.
4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone.
5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy.
Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time.
7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.
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