Mastectomy for ER Positive Breast Cancer: 141 Real Stories

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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Metastatic Breast Cancer Reclassified After NTRK Fusion Testing

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ETV6-NTRK3 fusion detected in tissue but not circulating tumor DNA; ER low-positive; PR-negative; HER2-negative; PD-L1-negative; germline CHEK2 variant of uncertain significance

Metastatic Site: lungs and pleura; hilar, mediastinal and retrocaval…

After tissue testing identified an ETV6-NTRK3 fusion, treatment with larotrectinib produced a rapid clinical and radiological response.

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Breast radiation completed after severe vertigo during COVID-19 vaccination

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s

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

Four weeks after completing radiation, her skin reaction was improving and she had returned to work briefly, although vertigo was still present.

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

Patient Info: Jeanine, Female | Stage III

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

Jeanine completed chemotherapy, bilateral mastectomy, and post-surgery radiation after her disease was restaged from Stage II to Stage III, and she described continued active oncology care and advocacy as of June 2021.

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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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Local Breast Cancer Recurrence Was Found During BioZorb Surveillance

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: Initial right breast tumor: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-equivocal. Recurrent right breast tumor: ER-positive, HER2-negative.

Two sites of right-breast recurrence were confirmed three years after lumpectomy, leading to right mastectomy.

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Right breast cancer with contralateral axillary lymph-node metastasis

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

Biomarkers: Right breast primary: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; Ki-67 70%. Left axillary metastasis: ER-positive; PR-negative; HER2-negative; Ki-67 15%; GATA3-positive.

Metastatic Site: contralateral left axillary lymph nodes

Two years after bilateral surgery, clinical and radiological follow-up showed no metastasis or disease recurrence.

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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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Stage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Faith's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Faith, Female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-positive; HER2-positive

Faith moved into survivorship after treatment for Stage II ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer, with ongoing fear of recurrence but renewed focus on family, nutrition, exercise, and work.

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Breast Cancer Recurrence Treated With Radiation Despite a Chronic Skin Condition

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

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

After treatment of a chest-wall recurrence and a radiographically suspicious ischial lesion, she completed chest-wall radiation, her skin healed within 5 weeks, and she remained under surgical, radiation-oncology, and dermatology review.

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Male breast cancer found after persistent nipple discharge without a lump

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage 0

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive

Six months after mastectomy, surveillance examination found no clinical evidence of recurrence.

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HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy and later spread to bone and brain

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumour: ER 0%, PR <1%, HER2 3+

Metastatic Site: bone (L3)|brain

After treatment and surveillance without new lesions, she developed a large symptomatic occipital brain metastasis 14 months after completing paclitaxel and radiation and died after rapid neurological deterioration.

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A Rare Metaplastic Breast Cancer With Bone-Like Tissue Formation

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER weakly positive; PR-negative; HER2-negative; BRCA mutation not detected; described as triple-negative

One year after left mastectomy, she was alive without notable complications or evidence of recurrence.

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Recurrent Breast Cancer With a Benign-Appearing Chest-Wall Rash

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: mediastinal lymph nodes

She had recurrent chest-wall and mediastinal metastatic disease; a later rash biopsy showed dermatitis rather than another skin recurrence.

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Young woman with ductal breast cancer and bleeding gastric metastases

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

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

Metastatic Site: pancreas|liver|kidney|stomach

After rapid progression to the pancreas, liver, kidney and stomach, she chose palliative care and died 1 month after presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Lobular breast cancer later spread to the stomach, bone, neck and mediastinum

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

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

Metastatic Site: stomach|bone|neck|mediastinum

After gastric metastasis was diagnosed and later imaging showed bone, neck and mediastinal spread, her oral intake and health declined; she chose palliative care and died 7 months after the diagnostic endoscopy.

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Lobular Breast Cancer Spread Into a Nasal Tumor

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

Biomarkers: Metastatic lobular focus: ER 8/8; PR 8/8; HER2-negative; E-cadherin-negative.

Metastatic Site: liver; bone; right nasal cavity within an olfactory…

The nasal lesion was removed with no residual local disease on imaging, and capecitabine was restarted while oncology follow-up continued for metastatic breast cancer.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Kirby's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kirby Lewis, Male | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: lung|spine

Kirby was living with metastatic breast cancer, and his most recent scans showed the right-lung tumor was stable with no signs of progression while he continued fulvestrant and palbociclib.

A second breast cancer arising in a previously known cyst

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER >95% positive; PR >95% positive; HER2 negative; Ki-67 11–50%; p53 negative for overexpression

She completed right-breast radiation and was continuing anastrozole 1 mg daily as adjuvant endocrine therapy.

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Small hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer found incidentally on chest CT

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER 95% positive; PR 70% positive; HER2 negative; Ki-67 11–50%; p53 negative for overexpression

She was receiving adjuvant breast radiation, with at least 5 years of anastrozole planned afterward.

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Multifocal ductal carcinoma in situ presenting with breast discharge and a lump

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Biomarkers: ER >80% positive and PR >80% positive on initial biopsy; ER >95% positive on mastectomy specimen; p53 negative for overexpression

She was recovering after mastectomy with clear margins and 0/2 nodes involved, with endocrine therapy still to be discussed.

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