Re: Obsessed with tumor marker number?
Think of markers as like the tachometer on your car. Going 35 mph and seeing 1200 rpm on the engine or seeing 1600 rpm on the engine can just be whether you are going uphill or downhill. Seeing 3500 on the engine, or slowly watching the revs climb over time for the same speed on the same hill, might mean the clutch is going out. The markers should be viewed the same way. Going from 25.5 to 41 in four months for the CA 25.5 got a bunch of momentum for additional testing for Nina in 2009. What I want to say is that each marker has its own variability. You, or your healthcare team, needs to know what is normal variation. I can call the maker of the test and ask, but I know whom to ask and what to ask. That is not fair to expect that of very many of the people on this forum. If you want to know about the tests, the literature is there, but it makes reading the Old English version of a dictionary easy. I say that the more testing and trending that goes on, the earlier you might catch an issue but the more afraid you will be.
If you are worried, the internet can make you knowledgeable. But if you can interpret the data and apply it to your particular situation, then you become smart. Data without meaning is useless. If you do not understand, ask your doctor to explain it. If he does not understand, ask another doctor. If nobody helps you get a warm and fuzzy (or terrifies you) then you need to work harder to contact the test developer, the test manufacturer, or maybe even a pharmaceutical ro device company technical support person. Many of them love to help patients that want to know more.
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