When you receive a diagnosis of breast cancer you can expect to experience a range of emotions. One emotion that you could likely come across is anger; specifically, anger based on of your feelings of being out of control. A cancer diagnosis often leaves many patients wondering, “Why is my body doing this to me?”

Then comes the treatment process where once again, patients can sometimes feel out of control. Some patients report feeling helpless and passive, totally left out of the process of what is happening to their own bodies. It doesn’t always have to be that way.

There are ways you can become an active participant in your own journey through breast cancer and what’s more, you’ll have another team of medical professionals by your side while you do it. Any Lab Test Now is proud to stand with breast cancer patients and offer the Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel. It can help turn you from a passive victim to an active participant in your treatment and can help put you in control of your health.

What the Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel provides

In a nutshell, the Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel offered by Any Lab Test Now is three different tests in one. It’s designed to help you and your physician monitor breast cancer treatment and therapy. It does this by monitoring three different proteins:

  • CA 15-3
  • CA 27.29
  • CEA

Both CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 are protein markers that are normally produced by breast cells, but if you have breast cancer, the levels can increase. Basically, these tests can help doctors with a number of things. They can help your doctor understand if your cancer is responding to your treatment plan. If you’ve finished your treatment, the tests can help monitor for a reoccurrence of the disease.

Likewise, CEA is also a protein normally found in the body. Elevated levels can provide another clue for doctors and at the same time provide you with a tool so you can be an active participant in your own treatment.

It’s important to note that the Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel IS NOT A SCREENING TOOL. It is not designed to tell you if you have breast cancer.

Who should consider Breast Cancer Monitoring?

It’s basic human nature to desire at least some control over what is happening with our bodies… and that can sometimes be difficult to come by when you are battling breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel can provide that for women who are currently afflicted with the disease. On the flip side, women who are breast cancer survivors often report one of their greatest fears is that of a disease recurrence! After treatment ends you may feel suddenly alone and vulnerable, as doctors are no longer seeing you regularly. The Breast Cancer Monitoring Panel can help put you in control of your own post-cancer wellness plan and can provide you with a level of comfort that you may not have realized was available.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an important time to raise awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. And while most talk of breast cancer seems to be geared toward women, it’s not exclusive to women. Each year in the United States, about 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2, 200 cases in men.

Remember, you are not alone in your battle with this disease, and you don’t have to feel out of control. The medical professionals at your local Any Lab Test Now are proud to stand with you and help you along your journey to wellness.