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CA 27-29 numbers rising: Does anyone else have an issue like this?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Aug 16 10:03am | Replies (176)Comment receiving replies
Hello, I'm new here but was hoping someone could help me. I am 11 years out from stage 2 breast cancer and I finished 10 years of Tamoxifen in November. Two weeks ago I had my first round of bloodwork since finishing and my CA 27-29 was a 40. I've always been in the 20s and 30s but I've also always been on Tamoxifen. I retested this week and was even higher, at 44. My doctor wants me to go back in 2 weeks for bloodwork one more time and if it's still high he wants to order scans. I can't really even put into words the fear and despair I'm feeling right now, but I'm sure most of you can imagine. So my question is - has anyone had this happen to them, specifically after stopping Tamoxifen, and it NOT progressed to stage 4? I do have a history of ovarian cysts but my markers have always been in normal range.
Replies to "Hello, I'm new here but was hoping someone could help me. I am 11 years out..."
I am CHEK 2 as well. I found out last September and decided to have a bilateral mastectomy...had that w/ reconstruction in July. The covid messed that up...made a big delay. The whole surgery thing was not bad at all. I had a difficult time mentally the second time I had BC and felt I would probably go over the edge if it happened again.
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@lauren03
Hi, Lauren. Welcome to the group.
One of the reasons why my oncology group does not use tumor markers is that there has been no evidence to prove that they are 100% reliable for determining the presence or absence of cancer. Apparently, there are several circumstances, such as other health issues or disease, which can contribute to raised tumor marker levels. I realize that isn't a comfort to you... all of us are super sensitive to any news which may suggest a recurrence as we've been through too much not to be anxious... but let your oncologist do his work. It's so nice that it's "someone else's job" to make those determinations! Keep up with your self-care and do not hesitate to let us know how things are going. We're in your corner with this fight.