Hormone Therapy for ER Positive Breast Cancer: 136 Real Stories

Stage IV HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Samantha's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: Rib; spine; pelvis

After a mixed response on the radium trial, Samantha changed to anastrozole and abemaciclib. She described the newer hormone-targeted combination as easier to tolerate and working better while remaining in ongoing treatment.

The Patient StoryRead more →

Stage IA ER/PR-positive breast cancer in SLE: arm-behind-back radiation after lumpectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage I

Biomarkers: ER >95%; PR >95%; HER2 1+; Ki-67 23%; no BRCA1/2 variants identified

As of April 2025, 15 months after 3D conformal radiotherapy, she had no local recurrence, no distant metastasis, and no radiation pneumonitis.

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Primary neuroendocrine breast tumor: disease-free 5 years after mastectomy and tamoxifen

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Biomarkers: Neuroendocrine breast tumor: ER/PR positive, HER2 negative

As of April 2025, she had remained disease-free for 5 years after mastectomy, negative sentinel lymph node biopsy, and tamoxifen 20 mg once daily.

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Stage IIA ER-positive breast cancer with axillary tuberculosis: no metabolically active disease after treatment

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

Biomarkers: ER 78% positive; PR-negative; HER2/neu-negative; Ki-67 21%; Luminal A subtype

As of April 2025, follow-up PET-CT showed no metabolically active disease after mastectomy, adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy, letrozole, and 6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy.

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Stage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Mandy's Patient Story

Patient Info: Mandy, Female, 40s | Stage I

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; low Oncotype score; genetic testing negative for 70 cancer-causing genes

As of April 2025, Mandy was about 10 months after bilateral mastectomy for Stage IA ER-positive, PR-positive ILC, had a low Oncotype score, was planning several years of tamoxifen, and was still in reconstruction.

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HER2-positive breast cancer with brain metastases: responding well to T-DXd

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-positive / HER2 IHC 3+

Metastatic Site: brain (left cerebellum, left frontal lobe, medulla)

After 14 months and 19 doses of T-DXd, brain metastases remained controlled with no symptomatic or radiological relapse and no severe T-DXd-related adverse events.

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Accessory breast cancer: surgery, radiation, endocrine therapy, no recurrence

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

Biomarkers: ER 2+/>95%; PR 3+/>95%; HER2-negative; Ki-67 2%

As of March 2025, 26 months after surgery, she continued anastrozole and breast MRI showed no evidence of recurrence.

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Stage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Katie's Patient Story

Patient Info: Katie, Female, Under 40 | Stage III

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; genetic testing negative

As of February 2025, Katie was a few months beyond active treatment for Stage III ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative ILC and was adjusting to maintenance therapy with Verzenio, Lupron, and Letrozole.

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Stage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Karen's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Karen, Female, 40s | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; grade 2; inherited genetic testing negative

Karen completed double mastectomy, 3 months of chemotherapy and reconstruction. She was doing well on ongoing endocrine and targeted therapy and walking 3–5 miles daily.

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Stage I ER-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer with radiation-associated morphea

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage I

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-negative; HER2-positive

No evidence of breast cancer recurrence after 2018 treatment; ongoing issue was generalized morphea and breast deformity related to prior radiation, improved with mycophenolate by April 2024.

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Stage IIIA encapsulated papillary breast carcinoma with invasion: mastectomy, axillary dissection, and anastrozole

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage III

Biomarkers: ER 100%; PgR 80%; HER2 2+ by IHC with FISH negative; Ki-67 20%; initial biopsy HER2 1+

She received postoperative anastrozole alone after right mastectomy and axillary dissection; no apparent recurrence was observed 18 months after surgery.

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Stage IV luminal A breast cancer: liver resection and disease-free follow-up

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

Biomarkers: luminal A; ER-positive; PgR-positive; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: lung, liver

Disease-free after R0 hepatic segmentectomy for breast cancer liver metastasis, with May 2021 MRI showing no remaining liver nodules while she continued maintenance letrozole and goserelin.

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Stage 4 HR-positive breast cancer: stable disease on ribociclib

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: left iliac bone

Metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer remained without progression as of October 2024 while she continued ribociclib 400 mg plus letrozole after SBRT to a left iliac bone metastasis.

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Stage IV luminal B breast cancer with liver, bone, and bone marrow metastases

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

Biomarkers: ER 90% positive; PR 20% positive; HER2-negative; Ki-67 60%; luminal B

Metastatic Site: liver, bone, bone marrow

The patient had marked clinical and hematologic improvement on leuprorelin, letrozole, ribociclib, and zoledronic acid, with sustained complete remission reported for 4 months from September to December 2023 and monthly follow-up advised.

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Anna’s Triple-Positive Breast Cancer Story

Patient Info: Anna, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive and HER2-positive

Anna completed surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and continued to navigate the effects of hormone therapy, early menopause and fertility loss.

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HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Anna's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Anna, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-positive

As of October 2024, Anna was about 7 years from diagnosis and described long-term survivorship after surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, biologic treatment, and tamoxifen-related mental-health effects.

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Stage 1 invasive ductal breast cancer: nipple-preserving mastectomy with reconstruction

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; Ki-67 28%

No signs of recurrence 20 months after nipple-preserving mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, immediate reconstruction, adjuvant chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy for ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative invasive ductal breast cancer.

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Stage 4 breast cancer: ongoing treatment with multi-line chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: hormone receptor-negative; HER2 2+. 2011 recurrence: ER 10%; PR 70%; HER2 2+.

Metastatic Site: pleura/pleural effusion; lung

Metastatic breast cancer with malignant pleural effusion achieved complete response after chemotherapy and long-term endocrine therapy; PET-CT in October 2023 still showed complete response, with ongoing cardiac and bone-health management.

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ER-positive breast cancer: mastectomy after hormone therapy

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

Biomarkers: Breast cancer was ER+ and HER2-low/negative. PR changed from positive on biopsy to negative on final pathology; HNA-1 antibody found for neutropenia.

Stage IIA ER-positive invasive ductal breast cancer had no recurrence 3 years after endocrine therapy and total mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy; autoimmune neutropenia was monitored rather than directly treated.

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Triple-positive breast cancer: complete response to targeted therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Triple-positive breast cancer; SBDS variants present; no detected TP53 variant on MyeloSeq.

Metastatic Site: liver

Stage IV triple-positive breast cancer with liver metastasis achieved complete response after paclitaxel, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and G-CSF support; complete response was maintained for 18 months after treatment initiation while on maintenance HER2-directed and endocrine therapy.

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Stage 4 luminal A breast cancer: tumor regression on hormone therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: skin, soft tissue, lungs

Metastatic Luminal A breast cancer involving skin/soft tissue and lungs showed regressing tumors and stable lung metastasis after 3 months of anti-hormone therapy plus capecitabine; longer-term control was not reported.

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Finding A Lump To BREAST CANCER!

Patient Info: Kelsey Harrison, Female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-positive

As of July 2024, Kelsey had completed chemotherapy, double mastectomy with axillary lymph-node removal, and radiation, and was continuing tamoxifen plus Lupron ovarian suppression with additional planned systemic therapy.

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HER2-positive breast cancer: surgery after neoadjuvant therapy

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

Biomarkers: ER 1% weakly positive; PR-negative; HER2-positive

No evidence of disease on follow-up while taking anastrozole after pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant T-DM1, lumpectomy/SLNB, radiotherapy, and adjuvant trastuzumab for Stage I HER2-positive breast cancer.

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Stage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Liz's Patient Story

Patient Info: Liz O'Riordan, Female, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: ER-positive; HER2-negative; PIK3CA mutation reported by patient

As of June 2024, Liz described Stage III ER-positive/HER2-negative mixed ductal and lobular breast cancer followed by 2 locoregional recurrences after mastectomy; no distant metastatic disease was described for her personal story.

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