Cancer Markers?? whats yours..

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  • tday1973
    tday1973 Member Posts: 2
    #22
    cancer markers

    I am researching this as I have the same questions. I was diagnosed with a small cancer tumor in my colon and  had it removed in January..I did not have cancer in my lymph nodes and since I do not want an oncologist in my life, my family doc and oncology doc are keeping an eye on my markers. they are 51 right now, and my family doc doesn't really know what that means. It is lower than before surgery so he sent them to my GI doc that found the cancer and checked the markers the first time after he found the cancer. Somehow by these markers he could tell that the only cancer I had was the tumor. I go see my oncology surgeon this week to check them again so I will ask him if everyone has them and what is normal? That's my main thing..is what is considered normal?

  • tday1973
    tday1973 Member Posts: 2
    #23
    cancer markers

    i called my deceased hubbys oncologist..he said that normal was like .5 to 11. mine was 6.1 before surgery and 5.1 after..so I hope this helps you.  not everyone has them but it's not unusal or abnormal to have them. I don't want an oncologist in my life cause I had one with my hubby last year..so this guy told me he would be my roaming oncologist..I can ask him anything.

  • Kats2
    Kats2 Member Posts: 126
    #24
    Tumor Markers.....

    Hello. I too am interested in finding out about tumor markers. My first Oncologist did not do them on me after I had had a very small lobular bc removed in 2012 and then had Radiation. I was put on Arimidex for 1 yr 5 months. No further testing was done on me during that time. Well, in June of 2014 I experienced fractures of my ribs....both right and left. My primary doctor had me have x-rays, and then a CT scan and MRI. That's when it showed metastisis to the bones.

    Because I had had such a hard time communicating with my original Oncologist, I had to switch to one who was closer to my home. He immediately did tumor markers on me. And he continues to monitor my tumor markers each and every month to see if I'm responding to the hormonal treatment. I was taken off of Arimidex and put on Tamoxifen....and now I'm on Faslodex shots. I have my last ones next Thursday. Then I'll be having another Bone Scan and CT scan to see if my cancer is letting up. I pray that it is..!

    But the tumor markers are a good way to see the "trend" of your cancer treatment. If I had had this done earlier, it would have been caught earlier showing that the cancer cells were multiplying more and more. My new Oncologist told me he would be watching me "like a hawk," and I guess he is.

    If hormonal therapy doesn't work for me, then I go on a chemo pill. I really don't know where this is all leading, and yes, I'm scared. If anyone out there has bone mets, I'd love to hear from you.....I need reassurance that there's hope out there for me.....Thanks for reading this...!!   Kats2

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