Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels

I go by the rule: If doctor is not worried, then I am not worried. All bloodwork is a snapshot, and different results would be obtained if you had just eaten, were fasting, or if the sample was taken in the morning or evening. Even a sample taken a few minutes earlier or later would very likely show differing results. Therefore, what doector is looking for is a trend in the blood numbers. The numbers that trend, either up or down, are the ones that are watched. And remember also that in the cancer world, "normal" ranges are out the window. Since our blood and marrow are hammered by treatment, hematologists are not concerned about numbers which would cause our primary physician to hospitalize us.

Gloria,

I too agree fully with Dana and Po.  Midway through chemo, my LDH  (Note: NOT 'LDL') was sky high, which my oncologist couldn't figure out. He then told me that drawing an LDH via the port would skew the results, and ordered that it be drawn from an arm.  He did not tell me WHY this was, just that it is a known oddity in some cases.

PSA is a critical marker for prostate cancer, but a man's PSA can go up simply if he has exercised a lot the day before a blood draw, or has sex. So a multitude of things can skew these results.   And Po is spot-on also when he states that chemo and Lymphoma send blood results off the charts. My liver enzymes (ALT, AST) were astronomical throughout chemo, but he never even commented on them.  Any board-certified medical oncologist is certified in internal medicine also, so if it warrents comment, your doctor will comment.

Rest easy, and peace of mind to you,

max