has anyone had breast cancer, go to their spine?

[Mimigram]

I have stage four metastatic breast cancer. I had it first in 2005. Then in 2018 it came back in my ovary. My tumor markers stayed in the normal range for about three years. Now they are rising every month. They are way out of normal range now. My oncologist has done every scan possible and we cannot find the cancer. She is now suggesting doing a spinal tap. Has anyone had that done and what results became of it??

Thank you for your help

Mimi

[Ursula_I]

Hi Mimi

Lots of us on the Metastatic Breast Cancer forum have cancer in the spine. I am living with a compression fracture as part of that. What would you like to know?

You might like to join the forum and ask again, there is a lot of experience, (I'll add to this reply with the link)

All best wishes, take it gently

Lucy

[Ursula_I in reply to Ursula_I]

healthunlocked.com/share-me...

[Warrio]

I had to have a spinal tap looking for cancer in the cerebral spinal fluid, after brain mets were discovered. My result was negative for the spinal tap. I hope yours is clear as well. I also hope your able to find answers soon.

[wendle3007]

My bone mets were picked up on a nuclear bone scan and verified by MRI. I've never been given spinal tap. Do they think it is in your spinal cord rather than your skeleton?

[Mimigram in reply to wendle3007]

Thank you for your reply. I don’t really know my oncologist said she might want to do a spinal tap. I guess to see if there’s cancer cells in the spine. Kind of freaks me out.

[Bettybuckets]

hi Mimi- this week, I was about to have my ovaries out to try to help stop fueling my ER+ MBC, but when they did thr abdominal CT scan the day before, they finally saw the source of all my high markers… lobular ) sneaky) cancer was all over in there… so now I am on new med trying to slow down the train wreck. My markers were 400-500 and yet the scans kept coming back stable… for past year… since they found cancer in your ovaries before, perhaps getting a better look with a non invasive test like abdominal CT scan would be easier on you before you get a spinal tap? Hope that is helpful.

[Mimigram in reply to Bettybuckets]

Unfortunately I just had a CT of my abdomen and nothing showed up. I guess spinal tap is a last resort according to my oncologist as she says she has scanned everywhere else and it doesn’t show up. You are right it is sneaky. Thank you for your reply.

[Bettybuckets]

You could always do nothing and wait to see a stronger signal to act on. Spinal tap seems painful and may not give you any clues. Lots of women have to live with high markers and no reason to do more than let it ride. Cancer will tear its ugly head at some point.