Tumor Markers Increased

randi2paula
randi2paula Member Posts: 4
in Breast Cancer #1
Please can someone answer this question. My daughter is a 4year (July) survivor. Her original diagnosis was Stage 2a HER2 positive. No nodes involved. She had bilateral mastectomies and did 15 months of chemo, 12 months of Herceptin. Appr. 6 months after tx. her periods started.They wanted another child so she went thru fertility and had a beautiful baby girl in March 2010.After having problems with bleeding she went to the Dr. in Aug.to see about a hyster only to find she was pregnant again and had a beautiful baby boy in April 2011. 3 days after giving birth she felt her breast were engorged and you could feel a lump.There should be no breast tissue left, right? She had her tumor markers drawn appr. 3 weeks post partum and they were elevated. The onocologist nor the gynecologist could say whether this could be from the pregnancy. They redrew the tumor markers Mon. and they elevated 2 points again.She is know 5 weeks postpartum.I am scared to death. The onoc. ordered a bone scan, lung scan and pelvic scan next Tues but he is going on vacation till the following week. Has anyone given birth after Her2pos bc and tx and had a baby? Did they dray markers postpartum?where they elevated? Her marker is 58 but it is the 2nd increase. Should we panic. I live in another state and want to get on a plane today but I dont want to scare her anymore. Any info will help.God Bless all you strong ladies out their.

Comments

  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #2
    I am sorry you and your
    I am sorry you and your daughter are going through this scare. I didn't have a similar experience, but I want you to know I'll pray for her to be well.
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #3
    Hang on...
    Tumor marker test are notorious for giving false positives as well as false negatives....my oncologist says he doesn't hold a lot of faith in them....I have never even been told what mine are or have been in over two years...

    I understand your fear...it's your "child" ......I'm like you...I'd hop a plane! She probably could use the help with the babies...especially since this is a stressful time for all...

    Wishing all you the best..and prayers
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #4
    odd growths after babies.
    No I have not had the situation you have had. However, perhaps I could shed some light on the issue to ease your worry a bit. After child #2 who I breast fed. I had a spot on my nipple that expanded to about the size of wart. It was as if I were having a bonus nipple growth at the time. It dissappeared when I quit nursing. With child #4 I had a lump in my pelvic area that seemed to be there for no apparent reason. The doctor at that time chalked it up to having some connection with breast feeding and for me to let him know if it caused any pain or grew. Again this dissapeared after I quit nursing never to bother me again.

    Hormones are powerful and they do many things. I suspect both of the things I mentioned were caused by hormones but certainly were not dangerous nor cancerous. It is always wise to get things checked. But remember, post partum is a time of major hormonal upheaval even if not nursing a child. I happen to think nursing a child assists in getting the hormones back to a state of equilibrium. Your daughter obviously does not have the advantage of using this assistance. So it does not have to mean something is wrong just try to ride it out and get more than one opinion.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #5
    laughs_a_lot said:

    odd growths after babies.
    No I have not had the situation you have had. However, perhaps I could shed some light on the issue to ease your worry a bit. After child #2 who I breast fed. I had a spot on my nipple that expanded to about the size of wart. It was as if I were having a bonus nipple growth at the time. It dissappeared when I quit nursing. With child #4 I had a lump in my pelvic area that seemed to be there for no apparent reason. The doctor at that time chalked it up to having some connection with breast feeding and for me to let him know if it caused any pain or grew. Again this dissapeared after I quit nursing never to bother me again.

    Hormones are powerful and they do many things. I suspect both of the things I mentioned were caused by hormones but certainly were not dangerous nor cancerous. It is always wise to get things checked. But remember, post partum is a time of major hormonal upheaval even if not nursing a child. I happen to think nursing a child assists in getting the hormones back to a state of equilibrium. Your daughter obviously does not have the advantage of using this assistance. So it does not have to mean something is wrong just try to ride it out and get more than one opinion.

    I think the scans will be
    I think the scans will be more definative. It seems to me that tumor markers get funky in many situations, and this would be one where they would be hard to assess. I dont think many women get pregnant after breast cancer so they dont have a lot to go on, I did talk to an onc who said pregancy does not cause cancer to start or recurr. Hoping everything is ok, keep us updated!
  • randi2paula
    randi2paula Member Posts: 4
    #6
    carkris said:

    I think the scans will be
    I think the scans will be more definative. It seems to me that tumor markers get funky in many situations, and this would be one where they would be hard to assess. I dont think many women get pregnant after breast cancer so they dont have a lot to go on, I did talk to an onc who said pregancy does not cause cancer to start or recurr. Hoping everything is ok, keep us updated!

    Thanks to everyone for their
    Thanks to everyone for their encouraging words.We will continue to trust in the Lord to touch her and keep her healthy and her tests are normal.

Discussion Boards