Serum HER-2 - Do You or Don't You?

[Lauriesh]

I have had it run a few times over the last few years.
Mine jumped around from 7-11. I have been Ned for almost 4 years, so it is hard to say if it is accurate. I wish I would have asked to have it run when I was first diagnosed with liver mets to see if the number would have been out of the normal range.
I think it is only reccomended for use in stage 4, not in early stage.

Laurie

[StephN]

I was away from my computer or would have replied.

Laurie is correct. Her2 Elisa serum test has been for use in advanced stage monitoring. I have had this blood test as part of my monitoring toolbox for several years. I now have it run only 2 times per year, and my insurance still pays for it.

My numbers stay in the midrange and are steady. I have been off Herceptin now almost 6 years, which was never supposed to happen for someone in a stage IV remission. I only have a CT scan once a year and use the blood markers as a possible tipoff that something maybe activating during the rest of the year.

[MargaretAlice]

Thanks for sharing. I am going to do a baseline. Good to know that it is utilized by some of you.

[Kim in CA]

I am no longer receiving this test, but sure wish I was.

When I switched health plans, my new oncologist at Kaiser said they don't use the Her2 Serum test. We are monitoring my disease using only the CA15-3, which is currently running at the high end of normal, to just above normal.

When we were using both the Her2 Serum and the CA15-3, the Her2 Serum was the first marker to rise when I had my recurrence in 2012, during my Herceptin vacation.

My tumor markers have always been a reliable indicator for me, and since I try to avoid scans as much as possible, they are my only warning system. That along with just trying to stay in tune with my body as much as possible.

Kim