On Palbociclib and Letrozole for 21 days, CA153 elevated. Er+Her2-

[MuhammadZain]

Hello, beautiful community.

My intro : I have metastatic breast cancer, Liver and bones, Er+, PR+ Her2-. I am a 55-year-old mother of 4 kids and post-menopause.

Condition: No physical pains, Feeling normal but weak. Eating normally.

I've been on a regimen of Palbociclib and Letrozole for the past 19 days, and recently, I received my CA153 test results. Last month, before starting the Palbociclib and Letrozole treatment, my CA153 level was recorded at 137. However, today, my most recent test indicates an elevation of CA153 =267. Platelets low to 119 WBC 2.9 HB 10.

Before that, I had 15 weekly Taxol (paclitaxel) sessions. Until 12 sessions, CA153 decreased to 83 but again started rising to 137, so the Doctor prescribed Palbo + Letrozol. Started pacli from 142 CA 153.

So can you please provide your experience?

Does Palbociclib and Letrozole take longer to work?

Should I give more time to see its result ?

[Eliactida1955]

I was on it for three years and it takes a couple of months to get in your system. Watch and don’t be too quick to change those meds. I was told by my onc that tumor markers might go up when cells are shedded by the treatment. I wish you the best🌹

[ba5083]

I would recommend not reading too much into 1 CA153 test. From my understanding inflammation is a big driver for these numbers and the Onc that still use these test look for a sustainable pattern over a period of time (3 months or sometimes 6 months). A conversation with my Onc indicated it can take 6 months or more to see the benefits. AS weird as it sounds when cancer cells die they can also cause your CA153 levels to rise because of the increase of inflammation. You can find a lot of info on this in the metastatic forum healthunlocked.com/share-me...