Breast Cancer: Kat's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kat

Nine months after diagnosis, she had completed radiation treatment and was looking ahead to recovery and hair regrowth.

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How I Told My Young Children I Had Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Completed chemotherapy in August 2014 and her final surgery in November 2014.

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Stage III Breast Cancer: Melissa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Melissa Angiolillo, Female, Under 40 | Stage III

Completed double mastectomy, 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments over the prior 8 months.

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HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Trish's Patient Story

Patient Info: Trish Vickery, female, 50s

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

At 58, Trish was living an active life after treatment, including working, traveling, exercising, and rowing.

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Positivity and Cancer: Be Yourself

Patient Info: Melissa Angiolillo, Under 40 | Stage III

Diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at 35, Melissa Angiolillo learned to make room for fear and uncertainty rather than feeling pressured to stay positive throughout treatment.

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Breast Cancer: Marianne's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Marianne Gongos, Female, 60s

Marianne had been breast cancer-free since June 13, 2013. Her separate chronic myeloid leukemia was also in remission after she restarted its medication.

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Breast cancer survivor finds comfort in quilting community

Patient Info: Michelle Hines, female

Michelle had been cancer-free since November 2015 at the time of the story.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer and an Atypical Femoral Fracture During Ibandronate Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s

She was living with bone-metastatic breast cancer when a suspected new femoral metastasis was instead recognized as an atypical femoral fracture during long-term ibandronate treatment.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sarah's Patient Story

Patient Info: Sarah, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; BRCA and other known hereditary breast cancer genes not identified in family history discussion

As of January 2017, Sarah had been living for almost 3 years with recurrent Stage IV HER2-positive breast cancer and was receiving Kadcyla every 3 weeks.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Debora's Patient Story

Patient Info: Debora, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Debora was living with metastatic breast cancer after Stage III disease treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy; four years after surgery, she was told the cancer had metastasized and was on targeted therapy.

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Stage III Breast Cancer: Elizabeth's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Elizabeth, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: Cancer described as highly hormone-dependent.

Elizabeth said she was in remission and no longer required treatment after lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and an aromatase-inhibitor clinical trial.

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Stage II Breast Cancer: Natalia's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Natalia | Stage II

Natalia was declared cancer-free on February 21, 2024, and continued regular follow-up while taking letrozole.

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Male Breast Cancer Treatment Complicated by Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s

After the third chemotherapy cycle he developed severe Stevens-Johnson syndrome with disseminated intravascular coagulation and multiorgan failure, and he died after care was shifted to comfort measures.

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Stage III HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorothy's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Dorothy Paterson, Female, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

As of November 2016, Dorothy had remained cancer-free since completing treatment for Stage III HER2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma in April 1999.

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Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer Diagnosed After Severe Breast Pain and Swelling Following Mammography

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER negative, PR negative, HER2 highly positive

After later metastatic disease was found, she chose no further active treatment and died of progressive disease in 2012.

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HER2-Positive Right Breast Cancer With Complete Response Before Bilateral Mastectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s

Biomarkers: ER negative, PR negative, HER2 positive

After neoadjuvant treatment, imaging showed complete resolution of the right-breast mass and mastectomy pathology found no residual right-breast tumor or malignant right sentinel node.

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Breast Cancer: Stephanie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Stephanie Spiesz, Female, 50s

As of June 2016, Stephanie was fully recovered and cancer-free after breast cancer diagnosed in November 2013 and treated with double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

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Breast Cancer: Mauriel's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Mauriel Davis, Female

Biomarkers: Triple-positive; estrogen receptor-positive

As of May 2016, Mauriel had completed chemotherapy and surgery, had a positive 6-month follow-up, was moving beyond monthly visits, and felt she was recovering well; no explicit cancer-free/NED status was stated.

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Stage I Breast Cancer: Shirley's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Shirley | Stage I

Shirley says she completed treatment and is now in remission after Stage I breast cancer.

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Stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Sarah's Patient Story

Patient Info: Sarah Cawley, Female, Under 40 | Stage II

As of August 2015, Sarah was still receiving treatment for Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma after modified radical mastectomy, 6 chemotherapy cycles, 25 radiation treatments and clinical trial participation.

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Synchronous Stage IA breast cancer and Stage IIA lung adenocarcinoma: disease-free after surgery and adjuvant therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage I

Biomarkers: Breast tumor: ER/PR positive, HER2 negative. Lung tumor: KRAS/EGFR wild type, ALK rearrangement not detected.

As of April 2014, more than 2 years of follow-up showed no recurrent disease after treatment of synchronous Stage IA breast cancer and Stage IIA lung adenocarcinoma.

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Mixed epithelial and mesenchymal metaplastic breast carcinoma: no recurrence 1 year after surgery and adjuvant therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: Mixed metaplastic breast cancer: epithelial part ER/PR/HER2-positive; mesenchymal part ER/PR-negative with weak HER2. Ki-67 ~20%.

As of March 2014, she was doing well with no recurrence or metastasis 1 year after modified radical mastectomy, adjuvant CEF/Taxotere chemotherapy, and tamoxifen.

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Breast invasive ductal carcinoma with coexisting inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor: disease-free after mastectomy, TAC, and tamoxifen

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: Breast cancer: ER/PR-positive with HER2 2+ and p53-positive. Separate inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor had ALK/vimentin/actin/S-100 markers.

As of August 2013, she remained disease-free 2 years after modified radical mastectomy, 6 courses of TAC chemotherapy, and tamoxifen.

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Stage IV ER/PR-positive mucinous breast cancer: long-term no evidence of disease after surgery, AFTV, radiation, CEF, and endocrine therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; delayed-type hypersensitivity to AFTV became pseudo-positive after vaccination and remained pseudo-positive 5.4 years later

Metastatic Site: Th7 vertebra

More than 6 years after primary surgery, she remained well with no evidence of vertebral metastasis activity, new metastasis, or local recurrence.

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