TUMOUR MARKERS DECREASED BUT SCAN SHOWS INCREASE

How is your Mum going, @amanda88?  I hope she isn't having too many side effects from her treatment xx. If you let us know, those on the same treatment may be able to give her some tips.  Where abouts does your Mum live? Town or city? We may have members nearby who can advise of specific services available in the area.

It's a tricky one, .... hubby's markers have remained steady & still going down, yet the disease is progressing. :(   it didn't 'show as well' on the PET scan - but the CT confirmed it.

Take care xx

Hi @amanda88, I'm sad to say that I have to agree with those above. The Tumour Marker tests aren't always reliable. My  Onco has little faith in them when looking at my journey, we keep doing them more to appease me and track my blood tests :)  Mine often chop and change and nothing in line with other tests or events and are so low that it says I shouldn't have the Big C! :o  And alas that's not true, as I'm a Stage 4 with Bone Mets since Oct 2018... And I went thru every test possible to prove that...blood tests, biopsies, mammograms, ultrasounds, CT, Bone scan, PET scan, MRI and spine bone biopsy. I know "scaniexty" is not easy, its best to discuss the results of your tests with your Drs when you have them all and then determine what can be done as the next step. Take care, hugs  :)

Hi @amanda88, when this exact thing happened to me my oncologist told me that not all cancers produce the proteins that the tumour marker blood tests pick up, so you can have a recurrence or growth that doesn’t cause the tumour markers measured by the blood tests to rise. All the best X 

Hi @amanda88, Sometimes cancer markers do not accurately reflect what is going on in terms of the disease. Has you mother's oncologist relied on them before? I know mine aren't really reflective of what is going on and my oncologist relies on PET and CT scans even though I still get CA153 blood tests. Unfortunately, my guess is that your mum's oncologist will rely on the CT scans (rather than the cancer markers) and may what to change treatments either now or soon. I hope this is not the case. Good luck. Cheers Lisa

@amanda88  perhaps if you rang the Helpline at BCNA they maybe able to give you some direction on understanding the CT scan