Hormone Therapy for ER Positive Breast Cancer: 136 Real Stories

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kim's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kim, Female

Biomarkers: ER 99% positive; PR 85% positive; HER2-negative

Kim’s ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative ILC responded strongly to Zoladex and Letrozole before skin-sparing mastectomy, with 90% tumor necrosis, clear margins, no lymph node spread, and confirmation that she was cancer-free.

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ER/PR-positive invasive mucinous breast cancer: mastectomy, DIEP reconstruction, and tamoxifen

Patient Info: Anonymized, trans woman, 50s

Biomarkers: ER 100% positive; PR 100% positive; HER2-negative; 19-gene hereditary cancer panel negative

As of May 2024, she was 1 year after bilateral DIEP free-flap reconstruction, satisfied with the cosmetic result, taking tamoxifen for recurrence-risk reduction, and planning nipple reconstruction; no recurrence status beyond the postoperative course was stated.

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Invasive lobular breast cancer with isolated scalp metastasis: excision and endocrine therapy

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

Biomarkers: Original breast tumor: ER-positive; PR-positive; scalp metastasis: CK7-positive; ER-positive; GCDFP-15 partially positive

Metastatic Site: scalp/skin

As of April 2024, she had no signs of recurrence in the breast or scalp and no distant metastasis after excision of the isolated scalp metastasis while continuing anastrozole.

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Stage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Allison's Patient Story

Patient Info: Allison Tierney, Female | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-positive; CHEK2 mutation; BRCA1/2 negative

As of March 2024, Allison had completed Taxol and Herceptin treatment, was on tamoxifen planned for 10 years, and had moved to 6-month oncology follow-up. No metastatic disease or recurrence was reported.

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Metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with paraneoplastic eosinophilic fasciitis

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; eosinophilia during paraneoplastic eosinophilic fasciitis flare

Metastatic Site: pelvis

As of February 2024, paraneoplastic eosinophilic fasciitis had remitted after prednisone plus systemic breast-cancer therapy, and 6-month follow-up showed no further skin recurrence or cancer progression.

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Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Sally's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Sally Johnston, 70+

Biomarkers: Estrogen receptor-positive

Sally was in remission by the end of 2014 and remained active about 10 years after treatment.

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Aggressive breast cancer presenting with severe skin infection

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Biomarkers: ER 99% positive; PR 99% positive; HER2 1+ / negative; Ki-67 3%; grade 2; 3 interpectoral lymph nodes negative; later axillary-node biopsy benign

She recovered from sepsis and surgery, had no distant metastases and a benign axillary-node biopsy, and was receiving adjuvant radiation with anastrozole ongoing.

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HER2-positive Stage IIB breast cancer complicated by acute neuro-Behcet disease during neoadjuvant treatment

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PgR/PR-positive; HER2-positive by FISH amplification; Ki-67 index 50%

As of June 2024, there was no recurrence of breast cancer or neuro-Behcet disease 2 years after surgery and postoperative HER2-directed plus endocrine therapy.

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Male breast cancer in both breasts linked to Klinefelter syndrome, initially missed

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: spine / bone

With advanced metastatic disease and an estimated prognosis of weeks or less, care focused on symptom relief under the palliative-care team.

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Breast tumor with extensive tissue death (infarction)

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive; HER2 equivocal; confirmatory HER2 FISH was not performed

After 1.5 years of endocrine therapy, there was no clinical evidence of residual tumour.

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

Patient Info: Megan Claire Chase, Female | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2 not reported

As of July 2023, Megan-Claire was in survivorship after Stage II invasive lobular breast cancer, with clear early scans but significant long-term effects, surgical menopause, chronic pain, fatigue, chemo brain, and inability to tolerate recurrence-prevention medications.

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Metastatic breast cancer with a blood condition that mimicked multiple myeloma

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive

Metastatic Site: bone

Her pain came under control and the metastatic breast cancer remained stable for approximately 5 years. MGUS did not progress to myeloma, and she later died from causes unrelated to cancer.

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Stage III HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Sarah's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Sarah McDonald, Female, 40s | Stage III

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

Sarah was 10 years from diagnosis without a recurrence and described the breast cancer as successfully treated. She later paused hormone therapy, completed IVF and gave birth at age 48.

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Stage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Abigail's Patient Story

Patient Info: Abigail Myers, female, Under 40 | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: bones, brain

Abigail continued living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer after about 8 years of multiple treatment lines, including therapy for bone and brain metastases.

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Chemotherapy complication: methotrexate absorbed into the bloodstream after spinal injection

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; Oncotype DX Recurrence Score 20

Metastatic Site: leptomeninges / central nervous system; brain

Five months after leptomeningeal carcinomatosis was recognised, she developed a new 2 cm brain lesion and neurological decline. Her family chose supportive care, and she died 10 days after transfer to inpatient hospice.

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Breast cancer that spread to the thymus gland

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive; progesterone receptor-positive; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: thymus

She had a good response after 4 cycles of abemaciclib, anastrozole and goserelin and continued endocrine treatment with surveillance of the opposite breast.

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HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Annette's Patient Story

Patient Info: Annette La Fontaine, Female

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

As of January 2023, Annette was in survivorship after bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction and was taking a daily aromatase inhibitor to reduce recurrence risk while rebuilding body confidence and emotional well-being.

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Stage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Bethany's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive / hormone-positive

Metastatic Site: Liver; bones; lymph nodes; stomach

As of December 2022, Bethany was living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer after recurrence to the liver, bones, lymph nodes, and stomach, and was on lifelong maintenance treatment after disease shrinkage.

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Recurrent Lobular Breast Cancer Spread to the Opposite Armpit Lymph Node

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

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

Metastatic Site: Contralateral right axillary lymph node

After surgery for the recurrence and removal of the opposite-side axillary nodes, the patient proceeded with adjuvant chemotherapy and remained in active treatment.

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Male breast cancer discovered after years of stiff-person syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; anti-amphiphysin antibody positive at 1:64; hereditary cancer panel negative for pathogenic germline variants.

He completed curative-intent breast cancer treatment and reported substantial improvement in upper-body stiffness, although lower-extremity stiffness, cramps, and unsteadiness persisted.

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Breast cancer with sarcoidosis that mimicked metastatic disease

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

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

Her most recent mammogram showed no recurrent breast cancer while she continued letrozole, goserelin, and six-monthly follow-up.

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Breast cancer recurrence in the mandibular condyle causing jaw pain

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

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

Metastatic Site: right mandibular condyle with extension into the…

After anastrozole and 60 Gy of radiation, her jaw pain, mouth opening, and function improved, although some discomfort remained and palliative systemic treatment was continuing.

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Locally advanced male breast cancer associated with a pathogenic ATM variant

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: ER 100% positive; PR 100% positive; HER2-negative; Ki-67 30%; germline pathogenic ATM variant c.2921+1G>A.

Two years after diagnosis, he had an ECOG performance status of 0 and remained without signs of breast-cancer relapse or another primary cancer.

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A durable response to trastuzumab in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor ER-positive and PR-positive. Metastatic liver biopsy ER-negative and PR-negative with HER2 IHC 1+ and nonamplified. Later biopsy ER and PR weakly positive at 5%–10%, HER2 IHC 1+ and nonamplified, and ERBB3 p. with evidence of HER2/HER3 pathway activation.

Metastatic Site: lungs; hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes; liver; bone

She had ongoing benefit for more than 10 months on trastuzumab and capecitabine, with improved symptoms, lower tumor markers, and a confirmed partial response.

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