Ca27.29 test

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cailindearg
cailindearg Member Posts: 101
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

Hi ladies,

Haven't been on these boards in while, had my double mastectomy Jul '13' then recon last Nov. Everthing has been going pretty smoothly...I had my onco appt yesterday which was my yearly, so she sent me for a blood panel including ca125 which was well below normal and then this ca27.29 which actually I didn't know I was having done. So I get my results back and according to my doc Everthing looks great but ca27.29 is bit elevated but I shouldn't be worried, she says she sees it a lot and doesn't mean cancer, normal range is 38 or below and my result is 42.5, she recommended I get the test again in 4 weeks, so of course I'm worried and have to wait 4 weeks for the test.

Anyone else experience this???

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited June 2013

    CA27/29 can be unreliable and the result can be skewed by many things.  Many oncologists do not use it, or only use it as part of a broader picture and to check for trending because of this.  My onc happens to use it for me at every check (used to be quarterly - I just moved to bi-annual) and mine was pretty elevated immediately after chemo - it was double the high-normal number, but had been in the normal range prior to chemo.  Because I had a lot of inflammation from chemo we checked it again at regular two-week intervals and it gradually came down into the normal range.  So sorry that you have to worry until you can be tested again!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited June 2013

    I can't comment on your specific results because with a diagnosis of DCIS-Mi, I've never had those tests... and nor, I believe, have most of the women I know who've had DCIS or DCIS-Mi.  So my surprise is that your doctor did these tests, particularly since, as SpecialK noted, they can be unreliable and the results can be caused by so many things.

    Here's what Dr. Susan Love says about this test:  What is the CA 27.29 blood test? Should I have it done?   "Should you have the CA 27.29 test done? The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends against routine testing of markers after a breast cancer diagnosis."  And that comment isn't even for DCIS - it's for invasive cancer.

    It seems to me that having the test is creating worry for no reason.  DCIS cannot metastasize so why do a test that checks for metastasis?

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  • cailindearg
    cailindearg Member Posts: 101
    edited June 2013

    Thanks ladies for you're input. Beesie, you make an interesting point as to why was the test done, I have no idea, she didn't tell me she was doing the test so it was a surprise for me. And of course she's out of town until next Monday so I can't contact her...one of the things that can make the result elevated is a fibroid or ovarian cyst wich I have. Anyways so I will just have to wait until Monday to talk to her....trying not to worry...

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