Hallo, I had blood tests yesterday as my Oncologist was changing my meds from Letrozole to Anastrozole because the stiffness and joint pain were so debilitating.
Today I have received the results of the blood tests and my ALP is through the roof and out of range at 192 - it has increased by 79 . I have read that high ALP can be an indication of breast cancer having metastasised to the bones or liver and am panicking.
I have just spoken to the Breast Care Nurses, and also to my Oncologist who says he is not unduly concerned but will book me a CT scan within the next couple of weeks.
Has anyone else ever experienced such increased ALP? And was it ok?
Hi Fran! I had rising ALP levels from the month after I started treatment lasting a year or so. I went from a very nice 59 to a barely high 129 but it was high enough to scare the living crap out of me. First of all my oncologist told me that unless ALP numbers rise two levels over the upper limit (and for them my upper limit is 110 so two levels over than would be 220) then they donât do scans. I mean they would have if I insisted but they donât think itâs warranted since when bone mestastates are involved they tend to be much higher. So yes you are out of range but youâre not two times the normal limit. Secondly high ALP numbers can be caused by many thing including just a high fat meal. Did you eat something super fatty before testing? Are you blood type O? For blood types O intestinal ALP levels can rise considerably with a fatty meal messing up ALP levels. Shoot, even tremendous exercise before a blood test can cause them to rise substantially.
But say you have none of these like me. Well the other thing that can cause ALP number to rise is just bone loss consistent with aging, Especially in the first year after starting AIâs. Mine was that. I had one zoledrenic acid infusion in December and at my last blood test a month ago it had dropped back down to 75. At this point, with your issues, that is a way more likely scenario than bone mets.
Thank you so much for your reply Kay. You can feel so alone in this jolly breast cancer journey sometimes.
My Oncologist said that he wasnât âunduly concernedâ as my other levels werenât high, and that it may have been caused by other things. I think that if the CT scan comes back clear, it will be a MASSIVE sense of relief as I wouldnât normally be offered one, and it will reassure me that for now, I am ok. At the moment, Iâm trying not to go there about if it is not clearâŠ
I am blood type âOâ so thank you very much for that info - I only had a piece of buttered toast before I had the blood tests so donât think that would be high in fat.
Hopefully, it just bone loss consistent with aging and is AI related (Iâm 60), and hopefully this awful wait for the scan and the results will be manageable.
I wish you well and very much appreciate your helpful reply xx
Hi Fran! I stumbled across this while looking for similar answers. Do you mind if I ask how your scans went or if your alp returned to normal? Best wishes
My ALP levels dropped to 166 but have now risen to 207 . I have been having monthly blood tests, Iâve now had a CT scan which didnât show anything sinister, I had an ultrasound scan of my abdominal area last month and am meeting with the Oncologist at the end of January to discuss. The kind Radiographer told me at the time that he couldnât see anything concerning (he is also a cancer survivor & knew I was worried) but that I do have gallstones & a fatty liver which may cause the high readings. And so I wait âŠâŠ.
I am in this state too .. alkaline phosphate 178 all other bloods normal . I am just started on Ribociclib and am in an utter state . I have a scan of abdomen and a full body bone scan next week ⊠I am petrified and not coping well . I am two months in on letrozole and have aching arms shoulder fingers and elbow .. one month post radiotherapy .. I had a macro in one out of two sentinel and was advised radiotherapy instead of lymph node clearance . First set of bloods for Ribociclib has prompted scans and I canât cope . X
Iâm so sorry to read this @beck1010. Of course you will be worried and feeling that every ache & pain means something horrendous.
My ALP levels dropped down to 132 after I changed to Exemestane, but my Oncologist wasnât concerned about the levels as my CT scan didnât show anything sinister. He said that actually, increased ALT levels could be more problematic than ALP - he thinks that in my case, the ALP levels seemed to be due to gallstones and a fatty liver (I donât even drink alcohol ) which donât cause any symptoms or problems.
Youâve got a LOT going on at the moment and I truly hope youâve got lots of support around you. I think itâs totally to be expected to feel that this is all too much. It truly is. And yet somehow, day by day, you will get through it and there will be brighter times ahead. Iâm now 2 1/2 years on from diagnosis, and 3 months post DIEP surgery, and it FINALLY feels that I am back to an okay ânew normalâ.
I hope the scan results go well, and the awful wait is as manageable as possible
Lots of love to you and let me know how youâre getting on. Xx
I too have gallstones and slightly fatty liver .. I put weight on over Xmas having lost it Witt the initial shock ⊠Iâm so glad to hear you are back to a new normal . Thankyou for your message and I hope you have a good week
. I have read that high ALP can be an indication of breast cancer having metastasised to the bones or liver and am panicking.
. Of course you will be worried and feeling that every ache & pain means something horrendous.
) which donât cause any symptoms or problems.