More details on next steps

Here is the plan for the coming months --

We will follow the tumor marker CA 27.29, which tracks breast cancer activity, through monthly blood tests when I get my Zometa.

If the CA 27.29 rises, I'll have a PET scan immediately. Depending on the results of the PET scan, we may change my treatment to Xeloda (an oral chemotherapy), Megace (similar to progesterone) or something else.

If the CA 27.29 stays the same or improves, I will have another breast MRI and a PET scan in 2-3 months.

That the CA 27.29 dropped so dramatically in the past three weeks, from 69.7 to 17.3 (normal range is 0-38.6), is a good sign. Evidently stopping Tamoxifen was the right thing to do. If the CA 27.29 continues to stay low, it will be a good indicator that starting Arimidex was a smart choice.

Dr. G pointed out that he has a patient who had a five year run on Arimidex. That sounds good to me!