tumor markers

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franswan
franswan Member Posts: 1
edited February 2015 in Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results

When I was diagnosed in 2007 with grade 3 breast cancer my tumor marker was 18.1. This rose slightly with during chemo, but then dropped to 8 over time. Is it possible that the cancer does not show in tumor markers? I have had back pain for 8 months now which the doctor has said is due to osteo arthritis. I have however read about something happening to someone else and also been given same diagnosis only to later find out it was the cancer that had metastised to bone. My tumor marker was tested in November and was 11 and will be tested again in February with my annual visit to oncologist. 

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  • WinningSoFar
    WinningSoFar Member Posts: 951
    edited January 2015

    My tumor markers have always been normal, even when I had a local recurrence in my lymph nodes. They started out normal before any treatment, they stayed normal throughout treatment and they're normal after treatment. They're not at meaningful for me. Some others will chime in soon to tell you their experiences.

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  • MusicLover
    MusicLover Member Posts: 4,225
    edited January 2015

    Mine tm's have been accurate in forecasting what is going on with the cancer but that is not always the case for everyone.  MO said to me that some times tm's rise when there is a lot of good activity going on, like your experience with chemo but with all of this said if you feel that there is something possibly going on I think that you should ask for a scan.  I hope that they will comply if you request one.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited January 2015

    Please try not to jump to major conclusions, as it is so easy with everyone's stories on here and elsewhere. Everyone is different and their bodies react differently.

    The Doctors saying they think it is only osteoarthritis may because they can see clearly the signs of osteo in xrays (have you had back xrays taken) but it is fair to be concerned and ask for relevant scans.

    We wish you the best and hope your pain can be addressed.

    The Mods

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  • tangandchris
    tangandchris Member Posts: 1,855
    edited January 2015

    My TM's were around 15 upon dx and have stayed about the same. My MO has told me that she doesn't rely on tm's, but if they are high and something else is going on there could be a correlation. My question about tm's is this...when I go in to have labs my tm's don't come back immediately. It's a few days before they get that back, is this the norm?

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  • dutchiris
    dutchiris Member Posts: 855
    edited February 2015

    My cancer sends the blood out for the tumor marker tests. So it takes a day or two to get the results.

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