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Re: Dizziness Question
Rolepaul -
Such fabulaous news and way to show those mets how to behave!
My take on Yanyan's questions:
1. Is it rare for brain to be the 1st place for mets from breast cancer?
Yes, perhaps less than 10% was a number I heard a while back. Maybe that is now higher with more years out on adjuvent Herceptin.
2. Will brain mets have an impact on the tumor markers?
Depends on which markers you have drawn. I have also been having my CEA checked regularly all this time. The only time it really went up out of normal range corresponded to my two brain mets. My CA27-29 did not change more than a couple of points during that time. Which was puzzling, and the other scans were finding nothing. BTW - I had no symptoms from the brain mets.
3. If PET scan involves spine, what does a spine MRI do ?
Spine MRI will find lesions that a CT scan will not pick up.
__________________
"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." H.D. Thoreau
Live in the moment.
MY STORY SO FAR ~~~~
Found suspicious lump 9/2000
Lumpectomy, then node dissection and port placement
Stage IIB, 8 pos nodes of 18, Grade 3, ER & PR -
Adriamycin 12 weekly, taxotere 4 rounds
36 rads - very little burning
3 mos after rads liver full of tumors, Stage IV Jan 2002, one spot on sternum
Weekly Taxol, Navelbine, Herceptin for 27 rounds to NED!
2003 & 2004 no active disease - 3 weekly Herceptin + Zometa
Jan 2005 two mets to brain - Gamma Knife on Jan 18
All clear until treated cerebellum spot showing activity on Jan 2006 brain MRI & brain PET
Brain surgery on Feb 9, 2006 - no cancer, 100% radiation necrosis - tumor was still dying
Continue as NED while on Herceptin & quarterly Zometa
Fall-2006 - off Zometa - watching one small brain spot (scar?)
2007 - spot/scar in brain stable - finished anticoagulation therapy for clot along my port-a-catheter - 3 angioplasties to unblock vena cava
2008 - Brain and body still NED! Port removed and scans in Dec.
Dec 2008 - stop Herceptin - Vaccine Trial at U of W begun in Oct. of 2011
STILL NED everywhere in Feb 2014 - on wing & prayer
7/14 - Started twice yearly Zometa for my bones
Jan. 2015 checkup still shows NED
2015 Neuropathy in feet - otherwise all OK - still NED.
Same news for 2016 and all of 2017.
Nov of 2017 - had small skin cancer removed from my face. Will have Zometa end of Jan. 2018.
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