Tumor markers the same after 6 months of chemo:( Questions!

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bak94
bak94 Member Posts: 1,846
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer
Tumor markers the same after 6 months of chemo:( Questions!
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  • bak94
    bak94 Member Posts: 1,846
    edited November 2011

    I had ca27.29 test done right when I was diagnosed and it was 57, then had them tested a week later to confirm and it was 61. Well, I just finished 6 months of chemo and had the test again and it was 56! My scans show that the cancer in breast and im nodes is basically gone and nothing else has shown up on pet/ct and mri's, going to have a bone scan next week. I had the ca27.29 the week after finishing chemo, could this affect the numbers? Doc said possibly. Could it be that this is my normal? I am trying not to freak out over tumor markers but I kinda am! Have any of you other stage 3 gals had tumor marker tests done? WHat have your results been?

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  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 3,345
    edited November 2011

    Sorry, I haven't had tumor markers checked, but have heard that they're not reliable and can be higher because of chemo,  I definitely think it could be normal.  I'm sure someone with more knowledge will chime in soon.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited November 2011

    bak94 - I had a normal tumor marker prior to chemo, then one done just a couple of weeks after my last chemo which was double the high end of normal!  Both onc and I were freaked out!  He thought it was a lab error but it turned out to be caused by inflammation.  The test is notorius for this - I was retested several weeks later and the number had come down but was still above high normal by about 6 points.  He wanted to test again but I had just had surgery to replace my left TE so I refused it until a couple of months later and then it was within the normal range.  Some oncs don't use CA27/29 at all because of this.

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  • Suze35
    Suze35 Member Posts: 1,045
    edited November 2011

    bak - my markers actually come back normal, which is not at all accurate. I know that inflammation, as well as treatment effect, can raise them up. I'd say the trend is more important than the snapshot, and it appears they are staying within a range during your chemo, so hang in there!

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  • AnacortesGirl
    AnacortesGirl Member Posts: 1,758
    edited November 2011

    For some reason I never had a ca27.29 done when I was dx'ed, just a CEA.  But my onc didn't do the ca27.29 till I was well out from chemo because it is affected by chemo.  There are so many variables with the markers -- some oncs don't even do the tests.  My onc doesn't get concerned about the CEA or ca27.29 unless I have some other symptoms.

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  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited November 2011

    I've had 2 different onc and neither of them did tumor marker test...they said they are unreliable and they couldn't be trusted, so I've never done one.  I hope this helps to calm your fears.

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  • BlueCowgirl
    BlueCowgirl Member Posts: 667
    edited November 2011

    I too have had 2 oncologists - both at Dana-Farber - and have never had one either; got the same explanation as Jennyboog...And also hoping that hearing this from lots of us will help ease your fears.

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  • YATCOMW
    YATCOMW Member Posts: 664
    edited November 2011

    Yes......don't freak out.....

    The tumor markers actually rise during chemo because of the inflammation in your liver which happens with chemo going through it over extended time.......

    Take the test about 6-8 weeks later and you will see that it is much, much lower......

    Hope this helps you.....

    Jacqueline 

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