CA 27-29 Gossip

My Onc is great about combining my infusion with my check-up, so that I don't have to go to his office when I'm not having treatment.

He seems to be more talkative when he's seeing me that way, and he shared some information about the CA 27-29 test.

Apparently, the lab guy called him yesterday and wanted to discontinue CA 27-29 because it is "wiggly" above scores of about 500. If they get a high score, they have to break the sample down into four parts, and combine scores to get an estimate. Lab guy thought the CA 15-3 was more sensitive. My Onc still prefers the CA 27-29, as most patients cruise beneath the 500 mark. If he switches over, in the future, all his patients will have to have a 27-29 and a 15-3, at the same time, to determine baseline values. He doesn't think most insurance plans will love this idea.

I couldn't get him to wax large about why - now - CA 27-29 is wiggly. Did the regeant for the antigen change? Who knows.

But, if you are getting crazy high numbers, it is a guesstimate. An informed one, but it probably means that minor variations in the number aren't hugely accurate. For example, if you go from 2000 to 2050, it's not as accurate as if you went from 250 to 300. Most of us have to jump in the tube anyway to confirm TM findings, though, so this probably won't affect anyone's treatment plan.

Also, for those of us who have ports, the FDA has banned the use of "Freeze Spray" to numb the area as the spray is a fire hazard. I miss it like crazy, as I have to remember to put the EMLA cream on at least an hour before treatment to get proper numbing. I am a big old whiny baby about needles. You can still buy it over the counter and use it if your nurses are cool about it, but they can't store it on site.