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I was dx as Stage 1, and my surgeon and my onc differ on this issue. The surgeon has always wanted the markers, the onc has always maintained that for me, it is a waste of time. I have already had one test (Oncotype Dx) which provided a result that has cost me sleep, (although my subsequent research and the fact that Her2+'s were excluded from the TailorX trial, leads me to believe the test is not providing the same info to Her2+'s as it does to Her2-'s), the fact is that it still causes me anxiety that I would not have had if not for the test. I feel the same way about TMs. The issue to me is that they are not completely reliable for everyone. If they were, then the decision to use them would be a no-brainer. Since they are not, I do not want to be in a position of having additional anxiety and a battery of tests based on a marker level that may serve no purpose other than to make me miss time from work and increase my radiation exposure. Then, if the tests are all still negative, there remains the anxiety that something IS still there that has not been able to be found. Dealing with the mental challenge of this disease is in some ways more difficult than dealing with the physical challenge. I think we all need to approach this issue from the perspective of what gives us greatest peace of mind. If Stage 1's want this testing, and their doctors agree, then blessings and best of luck to them. Until there are fewer false negatives and false positives with TM's for my disease, I am satisfied to rely on the current NCCN guidelines.
Hopeful
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