Radiation for ER Positive Breast Cancer: 125 Real Stories

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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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 New Breast Cancer Arising Beneath an Accessory Nipple

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: ER 5%; PR 5–10%; HER2-negative.

After chemotherapy, surgery, endocrine therapy, proton radiation, and later reconstruction revision, she was currently without evidence of disease.

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

Patient Info: Caitlin J., Female, Under 40 | Stage II

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

As of July 2020, Caitlin had completed lumpectomy, AC chemotherapy, Taxol, and 33 radiation treatments for Stage IIB ER-positive, PR-positive IDC and was continuing monthly Lupron plus daily anastrozole.

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Occult breast cancer found in the axillary lymph nodes during diagnosis of four cancers

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER 90% positive; HER2 overexpression; CK19-positive; mammaglobin-positive.

Almost four years after the synchronous cancer diagnoses, she was alive without recurrence and continued letrozole and oncology follow-up.

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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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Early breast cancer followed 19 years later by a radiation-related breast sarcoma

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

Biomarkers: Strongly ER-positive; strongly PR-positive.

The stage IA breast carcinoma remained disease-free for 19 years; a later right-breast mass was a separate radiation-induced sarcoma rather than recurrent carcinoma.

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Metastatic ER-positive breast cancer complicated by osteonecrosis of the jaw

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive.

Metastatic Site: bone (sternum, spine, pelvis, and proximal femur)

After progressive metastatic bone disease and severe medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, she entered end-of-life care and died three weeks after discharge to a nursing home.

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Breast Cancer Recurrence in the Parotid Gland Eight Years Later

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

Biomarkers: Primary breast tumor: ER-positive and HER2-positive. Parotid metastasis: ER-positive, PR-negative, and HER2-positive.

Metastatic Site: left parotid gland

The isolated parotid metastasis was completely resected, one-month PET-CT showed no significant abnormality, and endocrine therapy continued with exemestane.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Presenting With Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive.

Metastatic Site: bone; bone marrow

At seven months, she was doing well with a marked response on PET imaging, normalized right-heart pressures, and ongoing systemic treatment with palbociclib.

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Breast Cancer Arising in Ectopic Tissue in the Armpit

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: ER positive; PR positive; HER2 negative

A 43-year-old woman’s presumed axillary cyst proved to be hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer arising in ectopic breast tissue.

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

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

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

Cath was declared cancer-free in June 2024 after Stage II luminal A ER-positive/PR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer treated with surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy, though she continued to manage long-term side effects and recurrence fear.

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Lobular Breast Cancer Spreading to an Eye Muscle

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: Hormone receptor-positive; HER2-negative; E-cadherin-negative; CK7-positive

Metastatic Site: bones|left superior oblique eye muscle

The eye-muscle metastasis entered complete local remission, while bone disease was stable after 6 months of weekly paclitaxel and denosumab.

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Breast cancer recurrence involving the bladder and bones

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial breast cancer: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative. Bladder metastasis: ER-positive, PR-negative, HER2 1+.

Metastatic Site: bladder, bone, rectosigmoid region, anorectal region

She died in October 2016 from pulmonary haemorrhage, 47 months after metastatic disease was diagnosed.

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Breast cancer spreading to the colon, rectum and peritoneal surfaces

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

Biomarkers: Primary tumor: ER >80% positive; PR 50–60% positive; HER2 negative; E-cadherin positive. Later colorectal metastases: ER positive; PR negative; HER2 negative; CK7 positive; CK20 negative; CDX2 negative.

Metastatic Site: colon, rectum, peritoneum, diaphragm, liver, bowel,…

Metastatic breast cancer was subsequently confirmed in the colon and rectum, with later laparoscopic biopsies showing peritoneal and additional intra-abdominal metastatic disease.

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Luminal A breast cancer growing over 1 year in a 76-year-old woman

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

Biomarkers: ER positive; PR negative; HER2 negative; Ki-67 20%

She had recovered from surgery and completed radiotherapy about 4 months after the initial operation, with adjuvant hormonal therapy planned.

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Triple receptor-positive neuroendocrine breast cancer in a 32-year-old woman

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

Biomarkers: ER positive; PR positive; HER2 positive; neuron-specific enolase positive; synaptophysin positive

She was stable on follow-up and was receiving adjuvant chest-wall radiation plus systemic chemotherapy and trastuzumab-based therapy.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer With Long-Term Tumor Regression After Radiation Therapy

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

Biomarkers: HER2 positive

Metastatic Site: 8th thoracic vertebra

Follow-up showed near-complete regression of the breast tumor, resolution of the bone lesion, normal tumor markers, and a 2015 biopsy with no tumor cells. Follow-up showed no further recurrence, and she returned to work with good quality of life.

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Breast cancer returning 21 years later as a solitary parotid metastasis

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

Biomarkers: Parotid metastasis ER positive; PR positive; HER2 borderline by IHC but FISH 1.82

Metastatic Site: left parotid gland

More than 5 months after the parotid metastasis was diagnosed, the tumour had slightly decreased in size and her metastatic disease remained stable on endocrine therapy.

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Breast cancer returning years later in the biceps muscle

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

Biomarkers: ER positive

Metastatic Site: left biceps muscle

Her arm symptoms improved considerably after radiotherapy, and MRI 6 months later showed a significant decrease in the size of the biceps tumour.

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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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