Blood Test

tjay

I have been on TX for a little over 3 years and I only see my Oncologist once a year with only one blood test the whole time....does this sound right to you guys???

LisaAlissa

Could be. Some MO don't have much faith in tumor markers, so don't do blood tests for those. And depending on the hormonal therapy you're getting, there may not be much to do blood tests for.

On the other hand (for example)...if you were pre-menopausal when you started hormonal treatment and have been taking tamoxifen, you might want to have blood tests to see if you've moved into menopause and could change to an AI.

Whether or not you see the MO more often might depend on whether you have SEs that need to be controlled, or symptoms that need to be evaluated/treated.

I'd have a discussion with your MO about both of your questions when you see him/her.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

tjay

Sorry for this stupid question, but is MO the term used for oncologist? Also, I have been on tamoxifen for 3 + years, and I work with a lady that had the same type of breast cancer as me and is 4 years out, and her oncologist sees her every 6 months and does blood test, soooo...it's all very confusing and nerve wracking 😕

tjay

Thank you, I appreciate your response

hsant

Tjay, I think all Oncs have different methods. I get my TM's checked every 3 months, and I was prescribed Tamoxifen for 10 years

tjay

There's a TM in the place where I had cancer? Is it checked every year when I have my mammogram??? Geez..I'm glad I put a call in to change MO. I wish I would have educated myself more on all of this in the begining, but at the time, it was all so overwhelming and I felt like I was creating and bringing a lot of negative thoughts and energy to myself...anyway, I now know that I am my own best advocate.

hsant

It's checked through your blood. Some oncologists don't do this, because there's a question with respect to the accuracy. You mentioned that your MO checks your blood every year. He could be checking your markers.

tjay

No, he doesn't check at all, only one time. That's it. That's why I posted here, to see if this is standard care. I'm going on 3+ years.

hsant

I would ask your doc about doing a CA 27.29 or CA 15-3 to check your TMs. However, based on what I've read on this forum, this isn't common practice.

When my sister was diagnosed with early stage bc over 20 years ago, MRIs, scans, Checking TMs were common practice. I'm not sure why this is no longer the case. When she was diagnosed with liver mets, she didn't have any physical symptoms. It was found through a routine scan.

I was the same way when I was diagnosed last spring. I had personal issues that overshadowed my cancer diagnosis. I knew I wanted a BMX, but otherwise, I was satisfied with an oncotype score of 16, and a 5% risk of recurrence.

Recently, I've become more curious about certain aspects of my path report.

I'm also curious about the CEA test, which measures the amount of CEA protein which may appear in ones blood.

I have an appt. with my onc. next week to get my chest wall and TMs checked, and I've made a list of questions that really should've been addressed last summer.

dtad

tjay....yes this is the correct protocol. I think it stinks! The fact that there is no screening to detect stage one progressing to stage 4 is mind boggling. My doc at a major NYC facility believes that by the time something shows up on a scan or the like you are stage 4 anyway. It does not change survival rates. But how about if there was a way to detect stage one going to stage 2 or 3? We need so much more research for this dreaded disease!!!

Grandi

Dtad, it is my understanding that once a cancer is going to spread, it does not go through all the stages. Once it spreads it is Stage 4 unless it is a local recurrence in the breast. So stage 1 does not go to stage 2, 3, and then 4. It does go from stage 1 rightto stage 4 if it spreads. Also, tumor marker blood tests are not standard of care. They are unreliable and anxiety producing. Some people did not have elevated tumor markers at time of diagnosis. A simple head cold can raise tumor markers as can dental work or anything that causes inflammation in the body. Most of the newly trained oncologists are not doing tumor markers. .

tjay

I appreciate everyone's input, and I've decided to go with another MO, a second opinion. My gut feeling is telling me I'm doing the right thing.

Hopeful82014

My MO doesn't routinely do tumor markers or scans for bc patients but is willing to do so if the patient feels more comfortable with that approach. We did talk about the downsides of scans and I agree with her that routine, annual scans are not in my best interests right now. I do appreciate that she's open to a change of approach, regardless of whatever bandwagon ASCO is currently driving.

katcar0001

I was not content with my MO seeing me only twice a year and then only doing a physical exam and yearly mammo on good breast. No blood tests other than checking my estrogen levels.

I have switched to an onc who does all the scans, tumor markers and even the CTCs and gene mutations through Foundation One. I much prefer this proactive approach to watch and wait (which is too late). He will be able to tell from the report if tamoxifen is working and what other targeted treatments I need.

wallycat

I've had one lab in 8-1/4 years, and I think he was padding his office income because it wasn't for tumor markers.

My current onco runs no labs. I see her once/year and there are no other scans or tests done. She goes by symptoms.

My first onco told me that any recurrence found--even 6 months out--won't affect mortality/outcome. A tad frightening.