Hello, fellow MBC fighters! 💗💗
I’ve recently had a treatment change to Xeloda (capecitabine) after mild progression on Faslodex. My blood work yesterday showed a slightly elevated number in both markers after two cycles on Xeloda. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Just feeling disappointed that markers didn’t drop. ☹️
Thanks for any thoughts or opinions!
💗💗 Linda
Hi Linda. Sorry the tms didn’t decrease. Mine are at 117 but I’ve resisted a change in meds so far. Ct scan next week so that might change. Most people say markers rise initially then fall after treatment and also markers aren’t completely reliable. How are you feeling? I’m sure someone with knowledge off Xeloda will respond but I’m sending you hugs. Chris
Thanks so much for your kind reply, Chris. Feeling good physically. Just a bit down emotionally. I’ll be getting another blood draw in a month and pet scan in two months. Double hugs back to you!
💗💗
Linda
Hello Linda After one month on Xeloda my CA15 went up (from 2474 in April to 2588 in May). Yesterday I got the results and it dropped (406!) still high but going in the right direction. For how long have you been on Xeloda ? Don’t worry too much, maybe it is the dead cancer cells making the CA-15 going up. Have a nice weekend
Helen
Thank you, Helen for your kind reply. I’ve finished two cycles of Xeloda. Just started the sixth week (the off week). Third cycle starts in a week. I’ll keep my hopes up! Bless you!💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
I’m sorry and I agree that you need another month to see what’s happening. I feel bad about posting about mine dropping but they were at 9000 and nothing else had even remotely worked. But for you I know it’s disheartening and I wish I could give you a hug. As I’ve said before I think it was so much easier with my sis when we had less data so we didn’t spin on it. ❤️🙏
Thank you so much, Allison! And I agree; the mental gymnastics we go through! That tires me out more than anything! 😫Hope and pray for your continued good news!!
💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
My oncologist said that the testing its self can cause tm to rise some. Mine went up from 87 to 96 however when I started they were over 1100. So he was not worried. Sending hugs and prayers! Cast your cares onto Him for He cares for you! 🙏❤🌻
Thanks for your kind reply, Michelle! God bless you! 💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hi I sorry to hear that you are concerned. I’m not on the same combination as you so can’t talk from experience on your standard of care drugs
The advice I have been given on monitoring tumour markers is to see what the overall trend is (rather than the absolute number) and over the last 9 months mine have dropped in total by 85% it’s not been a fully linear reduction so one month they increase slightly by 6% but I tweaked a few things with my approach and they have continued to fall ~ my rise and also other people I know was also around the time I had the second vaccine for a Covid and I know some people experienced a blip in their tumour markers following their vaccination
I can’t control the tumour markers but I can control what I do to support my healing journey so I am exploring and continue to explore how I can nurture my body with the right food, calm my thoughts, look at my sleep hygiene and the level of activity I am doing (walking, 🧘♀️, Pilates) as I believe concentrating on what I eat (incl things I ingest from air and through my skin by reducing exposure to known chemical nasties) how I sleep, how I think and how I move will help me
You’re spot on!
Thanks for all the time and support you have given to my question! Such wise observations! God bless you! 💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks so much for the time you took to reply to my post. Would you mind sharing with me what your treatment is/has been? I was on Ibrance/Letrozole for 34 months, then Faslodex for 8 months, now Capecitabine for a little over a month. Also, any thoughts on no-no's in your diet? God bless you! XXOO Linda
Hi there. Try not to worry it’s probably a settling in phase. Enjoy your weekendClare
Thank you, Clare! 💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
Well, you learn something new every day! Especially with MBC. I swear, it it weren't for this forum, I don't know where I'd be... emotionally or physically/medically. I NEVER heard before that tumor markers measure dead cells too. This info has some big implications for me, and reinforces that I was right in pushing for a PET scan rather than a CT/bone scan this month! (Won't hijack this discussion by saying more about my personal situation at the moment! But this is really interesting news for me. It may actually be HUGE news for me.)
Thanks, Sandra!
Thanks for your encouragement, Sandra! 💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻 Bless you!!
Linda, please don't stress over a slight marker rise. Markers go up and down all the time. Allergies, sinus, anything can effect them. Scans give the gospel. 🙏 for good results on your next blood draw. Blessings, Hannah
Many thanks for your kind message, Hannah! God bless you!! 💗💗🙏🏻🙏🏻
🤣🤣💗💗
Linda, I do the CA27-29 and my markers fluctuate alot. When I started over year ago on Ibrance/Fulvestrant/Xgeva, it was 500. Now it fluctuates from 35-60. It hit 66 this month so we are doing scans in August but my oncologist is not alarmed. Doing scans because we have not done them since November so it is hopefully for peace of mind only! I think the markers can fluctuate for many reasons so give it some time. Best of luck. Hang in there. The emotional roller coaster is very real!
Thank you so much, Andi! Keep my fingers crossed and crossing my heart! God bless you on this journey! XXOO Linda
Got it. Today is my 1-Year cancerversary of starting treatment. I recognize 7/7 as my actual cancerversary because it was when I found out that I had stage IV, even though they kept telling me in advance that I was, at most, stage III.
Anyway, my tumor markers were initially 136 (after 4 AC chemo treatments but before starting Ibrance/Letrozole). Dropped to 32.8... and then went up to 38 a month later. I have hovered between 38 and 44 since.
Just a week ago, I had a GYN appointment where she did a breast exam. I already knew there was tremendous reduction in the tumors in my breast because I could both see and feel the changes. GYN could not feel any lumps or masses; my breast is normal, she said. Then I showed her a pic of what my breast looked like 10 days after my first chemo treatment. Her jaw dropped to the floor, and she said... that's remarkable. Point is, my breast was terribly, terribly deformed when I started treatment. I contacted my oncologist about the GYN's assessment and asked if it might be time to do a PET instead of a CT and bone scan. She first said it was unnecessary, saying my tumor markers remain the same. Then she surprised me by scheduling a PET. Needless to say, I am very interested in seeing what the PET/CT has to say on July 29th.
God bless you, Mary! Prayers for the 29th!! XXOO, Linda
Thanks, Linda!! xoxo
I will! I almost posted on my cancerversary. Umm, for some reason, I have never posted on here myself. I guess that is the next step in engagement! 😊
I too never knew it was measuring dead cells. Wow!
I also made the decision to move into the advocacy space. I am now ready. For some reason, I haven't posted much about my experience... although, I have increased how much I engage in conversation. I need to work on this. 😉
Sorry the decrease is not showing up…Yet! I think you will see results in the next month!
Thank you, Cindi! I'll try to keep your positivity in my heart at my next blood draw!XXOO Linda
girlsptz (Girl's Sports?), count on you to talk sense, like about sugar and treatments in Turkey. This is reassuring news for quite a few people, it seems. I am having just the opposite response: started a new treatment (not all that different from my old treatment, I guess) and my tumor markers dropped to normal. I thought that was a good sign, and so did my oncologist. Does it mean no dead cells, though? Going up and going down could not both be good.
It does seem like my tumor markers are indicative. I was warned by my oncologist from the beginning that they don't know what it means, but mine were high and quickly dropped when I started treatment. They hovered just over normal, up and down but not that much, for two years on my old treatment. One was going up and a scan showed progression. Started a new treatment and markers dropped to normal for the first time, and keep dropping. So for me, it seems to mean something. I was just alarmed that you said going up was normal with a new treatment because it means it is killing cells. I guess it means nothing for you. I don't take it that seriously, but it is nice to have some news between scans. I have to keep working on girlsptz to figure out what it might mean.
Hi Linda, it’s amazing what we can learn from others here! I hope you can relax a bit now while the new treatment does it’s job. Take care. x
Thank you, Vicki! Love and prayers to you!! XXOO Linda
Hi Linda,
I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious over the rise in your tumour markers. Mine have never been measured or mentioned to me, so I can't comment on how accurate they can be. But hopefully you will soon see a positive response from your new treatment.
Sophie 💐
Thank you, dear Sophie! I'm so surprised to read that you don't get info related to your marks. Is this meant to say that you do not have blood draws? Sounds so unusual!God bless you! Hope you are managing with everything on your plate! XXOO Linda
Hi Linda,
I have blood tests once every three months a week prior to my zometa infusions and that's it. It checks my liver and kidney function, bone profile, neutrophils, that sort of thing.
I'm managing better than I was, probably because I'm not swamped right now!
Take care,
Sophie 💐
Hi LindaSending hugs and best wishes for good news soon. It’s good that you feel good physically that counts for so much too. Life is so unpredictable just returned back from Center Parcs was worried about the bike riding and falling off but I was fine then I managed to trip just walking over a pavement and ended up with arm on ice for 2 days. Life is really crazy is it not but at least we are living it in whichever way we can. Have a lovely day.
Debra xxx
Thank you, Debra, for the time you took to reply. So sorry to read about your arm injury and hope you are feeling better!! God bless you! XXOO Linda
Slight increase in tumor marker
CA37/29 Tumor Markers
Tumor Marker Confusion
Normal range for tumor markers?
