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Know Your Terrain: The Blood Tests That Help Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence


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When treatment ends, many people wonder, “What now?”


The truth is — your healing journey doesn’t stop when chemo, radiation, or surgery ends. That’s when it begins. Understanding your internal terrain — the environment inside your body that influences whether cancer cells can grow or stay dormant — is one of the most empowering things you can do for your long-term health.


What Is Your Internal Terrain?

Think of your terrain like the soil in a garden. If the soil is rich, balanced, and nourished, healthy plants can thrive. But if it’s full of toxins, imbalanced nutrients, or inflammation, weeds can take over.


Your body works the same way. A healthy internal terrain supports strong immunity, balanced hormones, efficient detoxification, and low inflammation — all of which make it harder for cancer to return or spread.


By regularly checking key blood markers, you can get a clearer picture of your internal terrain and create a personalized plan to restore balance.


Key Blood Tests to Ask For After a Cancer Diagnosis

Here are some of the most valuable tests to help assess your internal terrain and guide a recurrence prevention strategy.


1. Inflammation Markers

  • hs-CRP (High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein) – Measures overall inflammation in the body.

  • ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) – A general marker for chronic inflammation.


These are important to know because persistent inflammation fuels cancer cell growth and weakens your immune system.


2. Blood Sugar and Insulin Balance

  • Fasting Glucose

  • Fasting Insulin

  • HbA1c (3-month average of blood sugar)

  • HOMA-IR (insulin resistance score)

Cancer cells love sugar. They typically have 10-50 times more glucose receptors on the surface of their cells than normal ones do. High insulin levels can stimulate growth pathways. Keeping blood sugar stable supports metabolic balance and reduces recurrence risk.


3. Nutrient & Antioxidant Status

  • Vitamin D (25-OH D) – Low vitamin D is linked to higher cancer recurrence.

  • Vitamin B12 and Folate – Important for methylation and DNA repair.

  • Magnesium, Zinc, and Selenium – Essential minerals for immune and cellular health.

Nutrient deficiencies weaken detoxification and immune function, making your terrain less resilient. When you're in optimal levels, you can trust your body to function optimally.


4. Liver and Detox Function

  • ALT, AST, GGT, ALP – Basic liver enzymes that reflect detox capacity.

  • Bilirubin and Albumin – Show how well your liver and protein metabolism are functioning.


Your liver is like a sponge that filters everything in your body including hormones, toxins, medications and chemotherapy residues. Keeping it strong supports recovery and hormone balance.


5. Hormone and Estrogen Metabolism (especially for hormone-positive cancers)

  • Estradiol (E2), Estrone, Progesterone, and Testosterone

  • DHEA-S and Cortisol (AM and PM if possible)

  • Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)


Balancing hormones and ensuring proper estrogen metabolism helps prevent hormone-driven cancer recurrence.


6. Immune and Cellular Health

  • CBC with Differential – Gives a snapshot of white blood cell activity and immune resilience.

  • LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase) – May reflect cellular turnover or tissue stress.


A strong immune system helps detect and destroy abnormal cells early before they can take hold again.


7. Oxidative Stress and Methylation (Functional Labs if accessible)

If your doctor or practitioner can order more advanced tests:

  • Homocysteine – Linked to methylation and inflammation.

  • 8-OHdG (oxidative DNA damage marker) – Shows DNA repair and oxidative stress status.

  • hs-ferritin and iron panel – Both high and low iron levels can affect oxidative balance.


How to Ask Your Doctor for These Tests


It’s completely okay to advocate for yourself. Here’s how to make that conversation easier:


Be clear about what your asking for and why. You can say this: “I’m interested in tracking my overall health and inflammation after treatment. Can we include tests for CRP, vitamin D, and fasting insulin in my next blood work?”

Explain that you want to be proactive in preventing reccurence and maintaing health long-term. Bring a list of the tests you want so that you don't forget anything and if your doctor can't order them, ask for a referral to do them through a private lab or naturopathic doctor.


Building a Preventative Strategy


Once you have your blood test results, patterns often tell a story. Maybe your inflammation is high, or your insulin is creeping up, or your vitamin D is low — these are clues pointing to where your terrain needs attention.


Nutrition, detox support, lifestyle shifts, and targeted supplements, alonside your conventional care, can all help bring those markers back into balance. Over time, these changes reduce your cancer risk and help you feel stronger, clearer, and more in control.


Next Step: Know Your Terrain


Understanding your bloodwork gives you the roadmap to healing and prevention. If you’d like help creating a personalized plan to reduce recurrence risk, support detox, and strengthen your body from the inside out, I’d love to guide you.


Book a free discovery call or a cancer support consultation to explore your terrain and take the next step toward empowered, preventative healing.

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