Re: Integrative Cancer Care Site - Tumor Marker Tests

[Guest guest]

I was under the impression that most tumor marker tests were blood tests. What

kind of safety are you concerned about?

ar

>

> will appreciate if members can guide me on what cancer marker tests should

> be done which are considered safe ??

>

[Guest guest]

well my knowledge on this is limted but i dont want my mom to go thru the

pet/ct scan route. hence the question regarding cancer marker tests.

regards

[Guest guest]

Tumor marker tests are generally unreliable. And you need to establish a

baseline, too.

For initial diagnosis, a CT or PET allows you to see what you have to deal with.

Then, follow-up with tumor markers will be helpful.

ar

>

> well my knowledge on this is limted but i dont want my mom to go thru the

> pet/ct scan route. hence the question regarding cancer marker tests.

>

> regards

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

From my experience with tumor markers, they can be very reliable and tend to

have a normal range (for example,

< 30 U/ml, < 4.5 ng/ml etc). You don't need to establish a baseline.

There are many markers to choose from and new ones being added all the

time. You need to find a marker that is elevated (above the normal

range) for your type of cancer. Generally if you keep looking, you will

usually find one I think, but not always. When you find one (or more)

tumor markers which are elevated they are a very useful tool for

tracking the response of your treatment (effective, partially effective

or ineffective).

Elevated markers are very responsive indicators of treatment. You can

see changes at the end of 1 week of a powerful therapy. A rising marker

should slow and start to turn around when you hit the cancer with the

right treatment.

This month I've seen a CA 125 marker for advanced Ovarian cancer with

liver metastases fall 468 U/ml (36 %) in 3 weeks with Coley's Fluid

fever vaccine and no chemotherapy. Normal range for CA 125 is < 30 U/ml.

At the end of each week we saw the marker fall 103, 181, 184 U/ml.

If the therapy stops working, you'll probably see that quickly reflected

in the marker you are tracking, even on a weekly basis. It's possible to

see changes in a marker from week to week, but you probably won't see it

in a CT/PET so quickly? Checking tumor markers in the blood can be done

weekly, but weekly CT/PETs are usually not practical, particularly safe

in the long run or economical enough.

> will appreciate if members can guide me on what cancer marker tests

should

> be done which are considered safe ??

What type of cancer are we talking about? Try a search of google, such

as " colorectal cancer tumor markers " . For this you'll find CEA, CA 19-9,

even CA 125. Check what's available from your lab.

Each cancer tends to have a common set of markers to try first, some

markers are less specific but can still be a useful alternative.

A marker such as Ferritin can be sensitive to the presence of metastasis

for example, rather than for a specific type of cancer. Also look at the

ratio of Ferritin to serum iron (Fe). A ratio of Ferritin:Fe of < 2.0

would be normal I believe.

Comments and personal experiences welcome...!

All the best!