Ca25-29 and CA 15-3: One marker going up and the other down?

Hello @shireen71 and welcome to Mayo connect. These numbers cause so much distress, I am sorry for that. They do tend to fluctuate, my doctor does not even test them regularly anymore. He says they aren’t really reliable enough to be helpful.
There is another conversation here on connect about this topic, from about a year ago. Here is a link,
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ca-15-3-cancer-tumor-marker/
Being MBC is a hard label to come to terms with, I hope you don’t focus too much on the numbers. They can really make me crazy when I do that.
How are you doing now? Have you visited any of the other discussions yet?

I am feeling ok, if it wasn’t for the blood test would have never known.
I just started to read about it, it’s alit to take in looking to see if anyone is in verzenio and for how long have they been on it and if it’s still working . I’m just afraid once it stop s working will the cancer grow fast .

God bless you!

Hello @shireen71 ,
I was diagnosed de novo ER/PR+, HER2 low lobular MBC in January 2022. I started Verzenio + Anastrozole in February. I have mets to bones. My CA markers turned to normal range after I started the meds and stayed liked that. After 18 months, my bone scans showed new sites on bones (mild progression). I wanted to continue for another 3 months and see what would happen. The next scans showed clear progression. All this time my markers were still under the normal limit. Then I was moved to Kisqali and Faslodex. My numbers rose after the first cycle, but then went back down in the second cycle. As a note, I had a liquid biopsy after progression which did not show anything.
My onco follows the CA markers but the main focus is on the scans. Even if the scan shows a progression (bones can be a bit more difficult to read), make sure you combine it with how you feel and other test results. If you feel like there's a conflict, ask for a re-read of the scans.
So, in my case CA markers and the progression was not quite correlated. For some people, the markers clearly go up before a scan shows a clear progression. You will probably see how it works for you.

I hope your line of treatment works great for you with minimal side effects.

Thank you so much this really helps alor, I’m getting my scans in may which would be 3 months on this 1st line of treatment. Wishing you complete recovery God Bless you

I was on the Verzenio for three years. After the 3 year my tumor started going up. My oncologist have me on Orserdu and Kisqali. My tumor levels have started to ho down again🙏🏾

I had my first scan after being on verzenio and anastrozole for 3 months was very disappointed my scan shows my tumors grew a little blood my tumor markers CA-15-3 is declining drastically went from 119 to 60 and my CA 27-29 was 230 went down to 60 then back up to 113: I’m also doing the Signatera test and that has shown a steady decline. My question is this I’m confused the blood work shows a decline in tumor markers but the scan show a slight growth, is this normal has anyone experienced this .

Hard to comment without knowing history: type of cancer, dx date, initial treatments, etc.

Hi @shireen71, I'm sorry to hear about your disappointing scan after 3 months on Verzenio and anastrozole. I moved your post to your original discussion so that members can see a bit more of your diagnosis and journey.

Have you had a chance to speak with your oncologist in the meantime to get a better understanding of the different indicators that the tumor markers vs the scan seem to be saying? What did you learn? Has your treatment plan changed?

What do you mean by "the scans?" I ask because I am to have a CT scan with contrast on May 14th, never having had one. It was ordered after my LFT (Liver Function Test) numbers went off the charts from standard bloodwork.
I was feeling fine and thought the appointment with my Texas oncologist was just going to be a routine one before we leave Austin to return to the Midwest, but now I am being sent for a CT scan with contrast (abdomen and pelvis) and I wondered if the "scans" you mention in passing are those. Here is what they are supposedly going to be injecting me with on May 14 to get a look at the liver (and other) organs:
What Is Omnipaque?
Omnipaque (iohexol injection) is a radiographic contrast medium indicated for intrathecal administration in adults including myelography (lumbar, thoracic, cervical, total columnar) and in contrast enhancement for computerized tomography (myelography, cisternography, ventriculography).

What Are Side Effects of Omnipaque?
Common side effects of Omnipaque include:

headache,
mild to moderate pain including backache, neck ache and stiffness,
nerve pain,
nausea,
vomiting,
fever,
hives,
stomach upset or pain,
visual hallucinations, and
neurological changes.
Anybody have one of these and, if so, how was it?