Radiation for Breast Cancer: 373 Real Stories

373 stories match breast cancer and radiation. 346 of them mention surgery.

  1. Stage I Breast Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story

    Stage 1 · Hormone Therapy · mastectomy

    Lauren's stage 1 breast cancer was found through a company health screening after a mammogram showed a breast mass. She had not noticed symptoms before the screening. After diagnosis, she changed her diet, began eating more healthfully, and exercised more…

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  2. Breast Cancer: Rosie’s Patient Story

    mastectomy · Radiation

    Rosie noticed that her left breast looked different while she was in the shower and found a lump when she checked it. She saw her GP the next day, was referred to a breast clinic and had a biopsy 2 weeks later. Her diagnosis was confirmed the following week…

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  3. Stage I Breast Cancer: Yoyo’s Survivor Story

    Stage 1 · Hormone Therapy · Radiation

    Yoyo learned she had breast cancer after a routine health examination in 2023. She had no symptoms or warning signs before the check-up. Doctors diagnosed Stage I disease, and the unexpected news left her feeling sad, powerless, vulnerable, surprised, and…

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  4. Stage II Breast Cancer: Jamie’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · mastectomy

    Jamie was 41 when a company health screening changed the course of her life. She had felt mild breast pain but thought it might be related to her menstrual period. During a routine mammogram, doctors found a growth in her right breast, and follow-up testing…

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  5. Stage III Breast Cancer: Joanna’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Immunotherapy

    Joanna was 37 when she found a breast lump while she was on her period. The lump felt suspicious enough that she sought medical care, and testing at the hospital led to a Stage III breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. The news overwhelmed her with fear…

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  6. Breast Cancer: Maeve’s Patient Story

    Chemotherapy · lumpectomy

    Maeve felt a lump at the top of her breast and was referred from her general practitioner to another hospital for evaluation. After the diagnosis, she began eating more healthfully, increased her exercise, and stopped drinking alcohol. Following medical…

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  7. Stage I Breast Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story

    Stage 1 · Chemotherapy · lumpectomy

    Karen was 56 when she found a hard lump in her right breast. She did not have other symptoms, but medical evaluation led to a Stage I breast cancer diagnosis in October 2023. Her doctor also discussed an estimated 5-year survival rate of 87%. Even with an…

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  8. Stage II Breast Cancer: Char’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · lumpectomy

    Char, 42, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after feeling a lump in her breast and noticing yellowish fluid from her nipple. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was likely 100%, but the diagnosis still pushed her to make major…

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  9. Stage II Breast Cancer: Amanda’s Survivor Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · lumpectomy

    Amanda was 71 when a black spot noticed during a routine check led to further investigation. A mammogram confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, helplessness and worry, but she trusted her medical team and followed the recommended…

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  10. Stage I Breast Cancer: Shuyuan’s Patient Story

    Stage 1 · Radiation · Surgery

    Shuyuan first found a breast lump during a self-examination in 2021. An ultrasound at a local clinic suggested that it was benign, and she had no other symptoms at the time. In November 2023, the lump became visibly prominent, prompting another medical…

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  11. Stage II Breast Cancer: Daniela’s Survivor Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · lymphadenectomy

    Daniela, 51, is a sales administrator from Colombia and a mother of one. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing a spot on her breast and reddishness. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was 70%. The diagnosis left her…

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  12. Breast Cancer: Grace’s Patient Story

    Hormone Therapy · lumpectomy

    Grace was diagnosed with breast cancer after routine mammography, ultrasound, and excision biopsies. Fatigue was the only symptom she identified. The diagnosis left her fearful, overwhelmed, helpless, and at times isolated, although she remained hopeful that…

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  13. Breast Cancer: Mina’s Patient Story

    Hormone Therapy · lumpectomy

    During a health check, Mina was initially evaluated for possible myeloma, and her breast examination was postponed. After myeloma was ruled out, a later visit led to an immediate biopsy that confirmed breast cancer. Feeling that the first doctor had not…

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  14. Stage II Breast Cancer: Angelina’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · DIEP flap

    Angelina, 56, sought medical help after a lump in her breast kept growing. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and was told her 5-year survival rate was 95%. Her doctors recommended a treatment regimen that included DIEP mastectomy, chemotherapy…

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  15. Stage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · cyclophosphamide

    Diana, 44, is from Colombia, has 2 children, and works in accounting as a financial technologist. She was being monitored for a lump in her left breast that was first biopsied and considered benign. Two years later, the lump worsened, and she also developed…

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  16. Stage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Bethany’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · ER Positive · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Bethany was 34 when breast cancer was first found in both breasts and a lymph node. Earlier, she had felt breast and underarm lumps but pursued thermography and other nonstandard approaches before ultimately getting a mammogram and ultrasound that showed…

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  17. Breast Cancer: Loriana’s Survivor Story

    Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Loriana Hernandez-Aldama was an Emmy Award-winning broadcast anchor and trying to have a second baby when symptoms she had dismissed led to an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. She says she was misdiagnosed twice before connections helped her get to Johns…

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  18. Breast Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story

    Hormone Receptor Positive · Chemotherapy · Hormone Therapy

    Mary Richichi was 79 at the time of the story and had been treated for breast cancer years earlier. A routine mammogram found a tumor in the duct of her left breast in July 2009, during a stressful period when she and her husband were preparing to move closer…

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  19. Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story

    Triple-Negative · Chemotherapy · Genetic Testing

    Stephanie Rifici Thorkelson noticed a breast lump while nursing her first son and initially thought it was another clogged milk duct. When the lump did not go away after about 1 month, she saw her Ob/Gyn. Mammogram and biopsy showed breast cancer shortly…

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  20. Breast Cancer: Sharon’s Survivor Story

    Chemotherapy · mastectomy

    Sharon Kovach grew up with breast cancer in her family: her grandmother and mother had both been diagnosed, and her mother died from the disease at age 56. An abnormal mammogram led to Sharon’s own diagnosis in October 1999, 1 month after her 40th birthday…

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  21. Stage IV Breast Cancer: Lianne’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · abemaciclib · Chemotherapy

    Lianne Kraemer was 37 when a small painful area in her left breast led to imaging and a biopsy in late 2013. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer involving lymph nodes. In 2014, she underwent a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, reconstruction, and…

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  22. HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Feyama’s Survivor Story

    HER2 Positive · Chemotherapy · lumpectomy

    Feyama Ashby, a quality and compliance coordinator in MD Anderson’s diagnostic labs, noticed pain in her sternum that extended into her right breast. She initially thought she had pulled a muscle while working out, but the timing lined up with her annual…

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  23. Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Julie’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Triple-Negative · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Julie Campbell was living with chronic myelogenous leukemia when a second cancer changed her course. In October 2020, tests showed no leukemia in her blood and her leukemia chemotherapy was stopped. One month later, she was diagnosed with Stage IV…

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  24. Stage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Anabel’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Anabel’s breast cancer story was shaped by family loss. Her sister and mother had both died from cancer, and Anabel had cared for them before facing her own diagnosis. About 1.5 years after losing her mother, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer…

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