Metastatic Breast Cancer: 17 Real Stories

Recurrent breast cancer with 2 recurrences and ongoing outpatient chemotherapy story

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

After 2 recurrences/metastases over 7.5 years, she was receiving outpatient chemotherapy as her 3rd treatment course and was focused on continuing daily life while living with recurrent/metastatic breast cancer.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Valerie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Valerie Hamilton, Female, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: Triple-negative breast cancer; ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative

Valerie completed chemotherapy, lumpectomy and radiation for locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer and preserved her breast/body image; no explicit NED or cancer-free status was provided.

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ER-negative breast cancer with NUB1 loss in metastases: 2 postmenopausal women

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: ER-/HER2- grade III breast cancer; metastatic tissue showed loss of NUB1 expression.

Metastatic Site: lymph nodes / lymphatic system

Both women died after metastatic dissemination of ER-negative, HER2-negative grade III breast cancer through the lymphatic system.

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Metaplastic triple-negative breast cancer: near-complete response to taxane/carboplatin before surgery

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

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; CA 15-3 elevated, triple negative

As of April 2025, imaging after taxane/carboplatin showed a near-complete morpho-metabolic response in the right breast and major reduction of axillary nodal disease, followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy/radiotherapy.

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Breast cancer history: atypical pelvic fracture after long-term zoledronic acid

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Prior breast cancer treatment had been completed; CT during fracture evaluation showed no metastatic disease, and the atypical iliac wing fracture healed progressively with conservative care and teriparatide.

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Two sisters with invasive lobular breast cancer and a shared CDH1 mutation

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: Both sisters had pathogenic CDH1 p.. Breast cancers were HER2-negative; older sister also had a PTCH1 variant of uncertain significance.

As of January 2025, both sisters were under ongoing hereditary diffuse gastric cancer surveillance with annual EGD after breast cancer treatment; no signs of HDGC or metastatic breast cancer were reported.

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Freezing treatment (cryoablation) used to manage slow-growing triple-negative breast cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; androgen receptor-positive in original tumor; Ki-67 5% initially and 10% at recurrence

At 29 months after recurrence diagnosis and 20 months after the first cryoablation, no viable breast tumor was seen at treated sites, axillary nodes were unchanged, pain was absent, and she remained active and independent.

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Breast cancer returned in the stomach and peritoneum after three years in remission

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: Initial breast tumor: ER 95%, PR 5%, HER2-negative, Nottingham grade 2. Metastatic peritoneal tumor: ER 80%

Metastatic Site: stomach; peritoneum

After metastatic breast cancer was confirmed in the stomach and peritoneum, she chose palliative care and inpatient hospice and died a few weeks later.

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HER2-positive left breast cancer treated with trastuzumab and mastectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2/CerbB2 strongly positive; BRCA1/2 negative for known pathogenic variants; FANCA variant of uncertain significance.

She remained alive, asymptomatic, and disease-free while undergoing annual surveillance after treatment for the left HER2-positive breast cancer.

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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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Breast Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma That Later Spread to Bone and Lung

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: bone|lungs

Bone and lung metastases were detected in the fourth year after surgery.

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Splenectomy Reduced Transfusion Needs in Metastatic Lobular Breast Cancer

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

Biomarkers: ER positive; PR positive; HER2 negative

Metastatic Site: skin|bone|bone marrow|spleen

She remained independent through her last oncology visit 18 months after splenectomy and died 1 month later.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Causing Severe Shoulder and Arm Pain

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

Metastatic Site: bone

Progressive nodal disease caused disabling brachial-plexus pain. She died about 3 months after placement of the intrathecal pain catheter.

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Breast Cancer Recurring 18 Years After Mastectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: sternum|lungs|pleura|chest wall

She died during respiratory decline caused by both metastatic breast cancer in the lungs and a separate primary lung cancer.

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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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Recurrent Breast Cancer Initially Mistaken for Organising Pneumonia

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: ER-positive and GATA3-positive atypical pleural-fluid cells

Metastatic Site: lungs

After 12 months of first-line hormone therapy for metastatic recurrence, she had significant clinical and radiological improvement and remained on treatment.

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Recurrent HER2-amplified breast cancer: complete remission on trastuzumab-based therapy

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

Biomarkers: Primary tumor was ER/PR negative and HER2 not amplified. Recurrent lymph-node disease became ER/PR positive and HER2 amplified by FISH.

Metastatic Site: left axillary and infraclavicular lymph nodes

After HER2-amplified nodal recurrence, paclitaxel plus trastuzumab produced complete clinical remission; she continued trastuzumab monotherapy with tolerable neuropathy.

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