Cancer markers: let's discuss/compare results

Look, serotonin is basically a huge red flag for carcinoid tumors. It’s already being tracked—don't sweat it too much.

I suppose it’s time I added my own perspective to this grim discussion. My father passed away from lung cancer. The symptoms? Virtually nonexistent. Then, out of nowhere, he felt this dull ache under his right arm and started running a fever. By the time we actually caught it, the cancer had already spread through his bronchi and lymph nodes.
My mother’s experience was a similarly frustrating ordeal. She suffered from pain in the upper right side of her stomach, accompanied by sudden bouts of weakness and sweating that would pass quickly, along with diarrhea. We initially assumed it was just gallbladder issues or perhaps kidney stones. Her doctor essentially stalled us for six months. Last year, she kept putting her on strict diets, prescribing things like Pepsi and Reglan—just a series of useless distractions. Even when we pushed for imaging referrals, the doctor refused. Since last fall, her labs have come back perfectly fine: blood work is normal, renal ultrasound is clear, gallbladder looks fine, and even the tumor markers were within range. You could look at those results and swear nothing was wrong, yet she felt terrible. Interestingly, she still had a healthy appetite, ate well, and wasn't nauseated by anything. She was even out riding her bike and working in the garden. Finally, an ultrasound showed some gastritis, so she saw an internist who took a biopsy. It turned out to be gelatinous carcinoma of the stomach. Everything else looked pristine on paper. Once they performed the surgery, they had to remove her stomach, gallbladder, and spleen. They took the gallbladder and spleen because they had become adhered to the stomach, though pathology later confirmed they were completely healthy. Her lymph nodes were clear too. It remains utterly baffling to me how not a single tumor marker flagged any of this.

PSA is basically your only organ-specific marker here—so honestly, it’s not surprising at all that everything looked normal.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who reached out via DM, including those who prefer to stay anonymous—just letting you know that private messages work perfectly fine for me too.

That’s exactly my point—findings are usually okay during those early stages. Honestly, your mother, Linda Campbell, is lucky she actually felt pain and that you guys stayed on top of searching for the cause. So many people don't feel anything at all. Has her mood shifted lately? Do you get the sense that something is off, like she’s more tired than usual or easily bothered by things, but not constantly? For example, maybe she feels off for five days, then seems fine for two, then it hits again. Have you noticed any changes in her complexion or anything else?
The way I’ve been processing this is based on a theory I can't quite shake—I have this nagging feeling I'm onto something, even if I can't quite see the full picture yet. But anyway:
Imagine a vast field with a single poppy in Point A (think of it as the body where, say, 20 cells have mutated at Point A). That lone poppy is almost invisible because it's just part of the meadow, releasing scents and making tiny, barely noticeable changes—signals that it exists. These signals are much stronger through scent than sight. Those 20 cells are part of the body, they have blood flow, and they release specific "scents" as information to the rest of the system. If you don't clear out the poppy, its seeds will fall, and soon you'll see several more popping up. Eventually, you'd notice them with the naked eye, and maybe the wind carries the seeds further away (much like how malignant cells multiply and eventually travel through the body). Now, if we look at how the body sends us a message, the most precise instrument in existence has already measured it. There isn't a spectrophotometer, an NMR, a TOC, an ICP-MS, or an FTIR that comes close to the sensitivity of a living being's intuition. Is it possible that, say, Substance X originates from malignant cells, travels through the body, and encounters Substance A while it's searching for Substance B? (A and B are natural products of our bodies that define our typical moods). If X intercepts A before it reaches B, the person might exhibit subtle shifts in behavior. If it could be proven that people change 3 or 4 key parameters when falling ill (right now, my tally for this theory is 9 to 2), we could run studies on three groups: healthy people, those who definitely fall ill, and those who fit this exact behavioral profile. We could pinpoint exactly which behaviors, feelings, or skin scents correlate with certain elements A, B, and C to indicate potential cancer, and then move straight to targeted tissue sampling, which remains the standard. Something like that.

We haven't observed anything out of the ordinary regarding my mother's behavior, aside from the specific symptoms I previously detailed. However, I am convinced that a person's constitution and their level of chronic stress play a massive role here. My mother’s life has been an unrelenting series of hardships. Her father was murdered and tortured during the very year she gave birth. Following that tragedy, she was essentially cast out by her own mother, forced to fend for herself as a child alongside her older sister while living with distant relatives. She grew up without parental guidance. Her father spent his life struggling with alcoholism, leaving her to raise the three of us entirely on her own. Between the factory job, managing the house, raising children, and tending the garden, she consistently placed herself at the bottom of her own priority list. She never indulged herself once. She wouldn't dream of causing a confrontation with a stranger, let alone a neighbor or—heaven forbid—a family member. She lived in a state of perpetual anxiety and worry. She was always cooking, cleaning, and providing for everyone. And it wasn't just us; it was everyone. Extended family, friends... she took care of everybody. She suppressed all her emotions—her anger, her rage, her actual opinions and thoughts—deep down inside. There is a significant history of cancer in her family, and all of her siblings share this exact same temperament. In my estimation, life simply broke her, and it had to manifest somewhere. It manifested in her stomach.

I can't quite recall which specific college course this was—it feels like a lifetime ago—but I remember vividly discussing how serious physical ailments are almost always preceded by psychological shifts; they don't necessarily cause the illness, but act as its precursor.

Michelle Cook83 said:Look, serotonin is already a known marker for carcinoid tumors. It’s already being tracked—don't sweat it.

Did I miss the point here?😎

driftingcyclist303 said:Did I just miss something here?😎

Nor did I.

I’ve been dealing with these sudden bursts of irritability and anger for a few years now... just out of nowhere. And the sweating... it’s constant, really, and sometimes it has this ammonia-like smell, especially right when I wake up in the morning. Lately, I've also been having some abdominal pain... I went in to get blood work and urine tests done, and everything came back totally normal. I actually scheduled an ultrasound, but unfortunately, they can't get me in until July... everything is booked up solid until then.
You've kind of given me a bit of a panic attack, though... I mean, I already tend to overthink things, but even when I try to convince myself everything is fine, I still have this nagging feeling deep down that something isn't quite right...😠
Oh, I almost forgot to mention... I’ve been struggling with fatigue too. Not just being tired, per se, but once I finally fall asleep, it feels impossible to actually get out of bed. I always need so much sleep... maybe it's all just my metabolism acting up... or maybe it isn't...

Honestly, Lawrence Torres37, I’m actually glad you’re feeling some panic. Sometimes that fear is exactly what pushes you to take action—like booking that ultrasound or endoscopy at a private clinic tomorrow. It might turn out to be nothing more than a minor nuisance, and once you get some antibiotics, everything will settle down in a week or two. It beats just lying there guessing what's wrong while your body stays in total chaos, making things worse because you aren't treating the underlying issue.

I forgot one detail. My husband used to snore incredibly loudly—like, seriously loud—in every single sleeping position for about a year. He never did it before (except when he had a cold, but then he'd just roll onto his side and be fine). Ever since his surgery, though, he sleeps perfectly fine.

Some of the symptoms I mentioned can be hard to spot if you don't live with the person who's sick. If you only see them occasionally, they might not even realize how much they've changed. They might just mention they feel weak, or have some pain or bleeding, but they won't necessarily connect it to an illness. They might tell you they're irritable, that their skin smells different, that they're constantly exhausted, or that they're snoring—assuming all that is actually happening.
Regarding that serotonin stuff, I didn't really wrap my head around it either, but it doesn't really matter. It's likely not a marker in the way I'm hoping it would be for the specific situation we're discussing.

feralwolf24 said:I actually forgot to mention one more thing... My husband was snoring—and I mean, he was snoring incredibly loud, in every single position, for about a year now. It had never been like that before (well, except when he had a cold, but then he'd just roll onto his side and be fine). Ever since he had the surgery, everything has gone back to being totally normal.

🤣 🤣and I snore too... so loudly that people can practically barely sleep when they're near me😬
but the anxiety and the sweating have been going on for years now...😠 😕

My husband went through some changes like this, though they haven't been going on for very long. Luckily, his cancer was caught right in the stomach lining—basically at the very beginning of the beginning. I don't know. It’s most likely nothing, but you really should get it checked out. A gastroscopy can be $167, and honestly, it’s usually recommended to pay extra for the better options because the probes they use are much thinner, which makes the whole thing a lot more comfortable.

I’ve been trying to gather some data so that when I sit down with a doctor, I actually have something concrete to suggest for testing. I reached out to Dr. Radman to see if he could recommend someone or give me advice on who to contact—basically, which US institution might support this kind of research. I can already see the potential headaches if we try to navigate this here (not counting the funding issues, of course). Still, I have a pretty clear idea of how the process could work

Goodness, your posts are so long; I can never finish reading them all...
Can an anti-alternative type of guy join in? This topic is actually quite educational, though if you ask me, we really need to rework and reprioritize some of this information. While there are many atypical clinical presentations caused by the various cytokines that malignant cells—which are absolutely insane—secrete, the vast majority still manifest in a very familiar way...
And what exactly is confusing people regarding serotonin (5-HT) and carcinoid syndrome?

feralwolf24, we actually took your advice and went in for some more detailed tests—a gastroscopy and everything. Turns out there were zero signs of anything bad :-(. Just exhaustion, nerves, and honestly, just feeling completely drained. I hadn't even noticed those symptoms before. And now my husband has cancer too :-(. I honestly can't wrap my head around any of this. We just got the biopsy results back today, and I am spiraling. I have no idea what we’re supposed to do next. It looks like surgery is on the table. What is happening??!!!
I only signed up for this forum because I don't even know how to thank you. I’m stuck in this weird place where I don't know if I should be relieved that we finally have answers or if I want to lash out at everyone because of it. Forgive me, I’m just a total wreck right now.

Would you mind posting the biopsy results on the forum? That way, we might be able to provide more insight into what's happening and what the next steps should be...

Sam Hall15 said:Man, these posts are getting massive—I can barely get through them all.
Can we get an anti-alternative medicine skeptic in here? This topic is actually pretty educational, though if you ask me, it needs some serious restructuring and reprioritization. While there are certainly atypical clinical presentations caused by the various cytokines released by malignant cells—which are, frankly, acting insane—the vast majority of cases present in a very predictable, standard way...
So, what exactly is tripping people up regarding the connection between serotonin (5-HT) and carcinoid syndrome?

What's not clear is how serotonin and carcinoid syndrome are even linked??? Are you implying that serotonin actually causes cancer??

Actually, carcinoid syndrome is a different matter entirely... It occurs when malignant enterochromaffin cells in the small intestine secrete excessive amounts of serotonin, triggering symptoms such as flushing, diarrhea, bronchoconstriction, and hypotension—which can lead to dizziness or fainting, and in severe instances, valvular heart disease. The exact causal link between 5-HT and the syndrome remains unconfirmed

Anonymous said:feralwolf24, your post actually drove us to go get some more precise testing done—specifically a gastroscopy. The truth is, there were no signs at all :-(. Just exhaustion, frayed nerves, and that distinct scent of livestock. I hadn't noticed anything before. On top of that, my husband is battling cancer :-(. I can hardly wrap my head around what’s happening right now. The biopsy results just came back today. We are completely lost. Where do we even turn? Surgery is being discussed... my God, what is this happening to us??!!!
I only joined this forum because I don't even know how to express my gratitude. I honestly can't tell if I should be relieved that we finally have answers or if I'm just so overwhelmed I want to lash out at someone. Forgive me, I am completely losing my composure.

Please, do share what you've found out. We have all navigated these dark stages ourselves; we will support you with whatever knowledge and strength we can muster.

Dive, please check your PMs. Reach out whenever you can, either here or privately. I'm assuming things are pretty heavy for you right now. Honestly, none of us ever imagined something like this could happen with a guy like MG. It wasn't even on our radar. For me, when he was diagnosed with gastritis, it felt like such a massive deal. When they took a biopsy, I was sure—I'd bet my life on it—that they were just testing for some kind of bacteria. It didn't even cross my mind otherwise. People on this forum have helped me more than I can say. Even just having someone explain the medical jargon doctors throw at you makes a world of difference.

feralwolf24 said:Dive, please check your private messages. Reach out either here or via PM. I assume you’re navigating a difficult situation right now. Honestly, none of us could have ever envisioned something like this happening to my husband. It wasn't even a remote possibility in our minds. To me, his diagnosis of gastritis felt like a massive deal at the time. When they took a biopsy, I was certain—and I mean absolutely certain—that they were just testing for some common bacteria. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be anything else. The people on this forum have been an indescribable lifeline for me. Even just having someone clarify medical jargon that doctors tend to gloss over is an enormous help.

It wasn't even a thought for us, either. We spent the entire time convinced it was just gastritis.
Please get in touch. I stepped into this myself last month following my mother's diagnosis, and I can tell you that the information I gathered was invaluable. I actually used Linda Campbell's posts to help navigate my mother's surgery. We still stay in contact; whenever I need guidance, I reach out. It makes things much easier when you can consult with someone who has already walked this exact path.