tumor markers with a fracture

[Maraki]

Has anyone’s Tumor markers gone up with a fracture?

Today was her third Doxil treatment and the markers went up 30 points since she fractured her vertebrae on the 8th.

Any experience ?

Thank you guys!

[Justme153]

Hi im not sure about all tumor markers but tne ca27-29 could def be affected by the fracture. This is why doctors dont just look at markers they look at the full picture bood work ,how you feel etc.

[Maraki in reply to Justme153]

Hello thank you so much for your response❤️🙏🏻. It’s the CA 15-3

[Eliactida1955]

I will know soon because I fractured my hip and med for cancer stopped . We will see in two weeks or more. I have heard that sometimes tumor markers rise when med taken due to shedding of the cells. So don’t always mean the med isn’t working.

[awesome4ever]

I recently had a hip fracture and a shoulder fracture ( both fractured spontaneously due to bone mets) and required surgery intervention. During my 5+ years living with this disease I also have had about 10 pathological spine fractures that were left to heal on their own. My tumor markers have never been elevated due to any of the fractures and still remains in the normal level. I get CA 15-3 monitoring.

Chemotherapy in itself can raise markers as it kills cancer cells. Of course as you also likely have read markers can rise as treatment is failing too. A 30 point increase is not great but certainly deserves to be monitored by the oncologist. They are always looking for trends and continuous elevations month by month and rarely would be concerned with a one month elevation. How do you feel...other than the obvious with receiving IV chemo? Markers are just one tool in an oncologists toolbox and not always a reliable indicator of what is going on....as in my case.

Was the fracture of vertebra pathological or traumatic injury? That would also play a part in the thought process? Inflammation would definitely occur from a traumatic fracture and that can raise markers.

My advice is to see what the next blood work shows before you panic for no reason. I know it's hard but there is enough stress living with this disease on a day by day basis without adding unnecessary stress by worrying about every small rises in marker levels. Try and remain positive. Take care.

[Maraki in reply to awesome4ever]

Thank you so much for your response!

Wow.. 10? Well my mom recently got those new spots in her vertebrae in march I want to say and since she fell they started hurting more. Last month she told me to call the onc because she was in so much pain she couldn’t handle it anymore and that was when he told her to go to the ER where they did imaging and found the fracture in the spot where she had the cancer.

How long until the fractures healed for you?

I’m just worried because she just started doxil and I just don’t want her to speed through treatments.

she feels okay but the break obviously makes her feel rotten.

She started her first treatment in June.