Hormone Therapy for Stage 4 Breast Cancer: 135 Real Stories

Bilateral Breast Cancers Followed by Metastatic Disease and Long Eribulin Treatment

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

Biomarkers: Left primary: ER 90%, HER2 FISH not amplified, Ki67 25%. Right primary: ER 90%

Metastatic Site: lung, pleura, liver, bone

After pelvic bone metastases appeared in 2017, she stopped eribulin, received pelvic radiation and remained on fulvestrant treatment.

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Recurrent Breast Cancer With Liver Metastases Treated Through Multiple Chemotherapy Lines

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER positive, HER2 0. Liver metastasis: ER 100%

Metastatic Site: liver

After liver progression following 18 cycles of eribulin, she started weekly carboplatin and remained in active treatment.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer With Durable Liver and Peritoneal Response to Eribulin

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER 90%, PgR 70%. Liver metastasis: ER 60%, HER2 1+

Metastatic Site: liver, peritoneum

While continuing eribulin beyond 34 cycles, her liver disease was stable and the peritoneal response persisted after earlier major tumor reduction.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Responding to Eribulin After Repeated Liver Progression

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

Biomarkers: ER 100%, HER2 negative

Metastatic Site: bone, liver

Eribulin remained ongoing with repeated partial responses documented through 12 cycles and no need for dose reduction.

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HER2-Positive Recurrent Breast Cancer Treated With Multiple Targeted and Local Therapies

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

Biomarkers: 2008 recurrence: ER 80%, HER2 FISH amplified. 2011 recurrence: ER 80%

Metastatic Site: liver, skin

After 25 cycles of eribulin, treatment was still ongoing; nodal disease remained stable, while later imaging also noted new metabolic activity in the upper lung.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer With Brain, Bone, Lung and Liver Disease Responding During Eribulin Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER 90%, HER2 negative, Ki67 10%. Lung metastasis: ER 90%

Metastatic Site: lung, bone, brain, liver

Eribulin remained ongoing with reduced brain lesions, stable bone disease and continued shrinkage of liver metastases after prior systemic progression.

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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 Breast Cancer: Liu's Patient Story

Patient Info: Liu Jing | Stage IV

More than eight years after a stage 4 diagnosis, Liu Jing remained on hormone and targeted therapies and continued working, walking, and mountain hiking.

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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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ER-positive breast cancer recurrence with renal metastasis inside angiomyolipoma

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; mammaglobulin-positive; e-cadherin-positive; GCDFP-15-positive; melan A positive in angiomyolipoma component

Metastatic Site: right subpectoral lymph node, left kidney

At 7 months after nephrectomy, she continued anti-estrogen hormonal therapy with no demonstrable progression of disease; surgical excision of the subpectoral lymph node was offered but declined.

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ER/PR-positive breast cancer with bilateral ovarian metastases controlled after oophorectomy and aromatase inhibitor

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; CK7-positive; gross cystic disease fluid protein-15-positive; CK20-negative

Metastatic Site: bilateral ovaries

After bilateral oophorectomies and aromatase inhibitor therapy, pleural effusion resolved, CEA and CA 15-3 decreased below the normal upper limit, and she remained well with no further recurrence for 40 months.

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Metastatic lobular breast cancer to gynecologic sites: disease-free after surgery and chemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-negative; HER2/C-Erb-B2-negative

Metastatic Site: vagina, uterus, ovaries

After treatment of vaginal, uterine, and ovarian metastases from lobular breast cancer, she was free from disease 12 months after completion surgery.

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Metastatic lobular breast cancer to bladder trigone: partial response to tamoxifen

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

Biomarkers: progesterone receptor-positive; genetic testing including BRCA1 negative

Metastatic Site: bladder trigone

As of January 2012, urge incontinence had resolved and PET showed decreased activity in the breast and bladder trigone lesions nearly 10 months after starting tamoxifen, consistent with clinical and partial radiologic remission.

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Lobular breast cancer with extraocular muscle and lung metastases: ocular improvement after radiotherapy and tamoxifen

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

Biomarkers: Original breast cancer: ER-negative; PR-negative. Extraocular muscle metastasis/recurrent disease: ER strongly positive; PR strongly positive.

Metastatic Site: bilateral extraocular muscles, right upper lobe lung,…

At 18 months after presentation with extraocular muscle metastases, PET showed no abnormality, diplopia had resolved, and ocular motility had markedly improved, with mild bilateral ptosis remaining.

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