What are TUMOR MARKERSS?

genavive

Hello Ladies,

I'm up early and the mind is spinning...What do the tumor markers mean? What is the "range" of normal and elevated? If they did blood tests on someone who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer, would they have a "number" too? Would they have a number in the "normal" range or would their number be "0" since they do not have breast cancer? Does everyone have whatever it is they test for in their blood but breast cancer patients just have more?

Thanks in advance! Ahhh...the joy of getting to know this disease.

Anonymous

These might help answer the question:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/tumor-markers

http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/db_alpha.aspx?CdrID=46636

My oncologists don't use tumor markers in any but advanced, metastatic bc and then only if it aids them in determining the effectiveness of treatment. They tell me that they're unreliable in early stage cancer because so many variables can cause them to go up & down.

~Marin