Tumour Marker up!!!!

Tumour markers are not a very reliable diagnostic tool. Ten years ago my much loathed oncologist used to request them and it literally used to make me feel sick. In the end I stopped having the test and sacked the oncologist. The lovely guy I'm seeing now says (imagine a Cuban accent) 'No, no tumour markers. They make everyone crazy.'

There are, of course, situations where that test is really useful but, thankfully, it seems to have fallen out of fashion now. Primarily because it is so unreliable. If you have a look through here you will find stories of women with colds having their markers go through the roof, people with high scores tested and probed and zapped and found to have no detectable cancers. On the other end of the scale, I had a whopping great tumour recurrence and my markers on diagnosis were well within normal range.

This shit is so stressful, Jane. Hang in there and wait until your oncologist has their two bobs worth. If it is doing your head in, or likely to, make an appointment to see them anyway--it is their department. Good luck with the rest of it, it's a jungle out there, we just have to do the best we can. Marg xxx