Biopsy results

 I got my results back and saw my nurse practitioner this week.  The news wasn't great, but it also wasn't as bad as it might be.  The ctDNA, or circulation tumor DNA, was rising.  From what I know, that is not good.  The number after surgery should have, or could have, gone down to 0, meaning there was no tumor DNA found in the blood.  My originial score was 1.6 with an active diagnosed tumor.  My score 5 months after surgery the score was 1.7.  Four months later it was 2.2.  I am told that this test is so new that even the doctors don't understand all the ramifications of the score.  The only definite thing they can say is if the numbers go to 0 after surgery the likelihood of recurrence is extremely low compared to those whose numbers rise after surgery. The numbers usually decrease within the first 6-8 weeks post surgery.  

I was told that unless I have symptoms the rising ctDNA numbers are not enough of a reason to have a scan run to look for cancer elsewhere in my body.  I did have a whole body scan, a brain MRI, and a bone scan done in 2019 just to check for metastasis.  At that time, there was no brain or bone metastasis evident.  They found 3 lesions on my liver that they thought were cysts but they couldn't say definitively because they were so small.  I never followed up on that scan because I figured the radiologist went to school to read these scans, and from what I've read most small lesions on the liver are cysts and nothing to be concerned about even when found after a diagnosis of cancer.  It would be more concerning had they found a liver with a lot of lesions.  Because I never followed up on that scan and they did find lesions that they could not definitively rule out as cancer, and given the fact that my ctDNA numbers are rising I will be having another whole body scan coming up.  My doctor and the nurse practitioner are going to consult on who wants to order the test as well as on a new medicine to try with me.  So, at this time, I do not have a date for the scan. When I find out more I'll post.