Paclitaxel for Stage 4 Breast Cancer: 60 Real Stories

Metastatic breast cancer with receptor evolution: sequential endocrine, immunotherapy, CDK4/6, and antibody-drug conjugate treatment

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

Biomarkers: Markers changed over time: initial tumor ER-positive/HER2-negative; local recurrence triple-negative/HER2-low; pleural fluid ER-negative.

Metastatic Site: mediastinal lymph nodes, pleura; pulmonary nodules…

More than 7 years after diagnosis, she remained on sequential systemic therapy for metastatic breast cancer, with at least a partial response 3 months after starting sacituzumab govitecan for presumed triple-negative pleural disease.

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Stage IV luminal B HER2-negative breast cancer with liver-limited metastasis resected after systemic therapy

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

Biomarkers: Luminal B; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: liver

After liver segmentectomy for breast-cancer liver metastasis, follow-up imaging showed no remaining liver nodes, and she remained fit, well, disease-free, and on maintenance letrozole plus goserelin.

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Breast Cancer Recurrence in the Small Intestine and Bone More Than 5 Years After Diagnosis

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

Biomarkers: Initial ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative; metastatic lesion ER-negative, PR-negative, triple negative

Metastatic Site: small intestine, bone, right fallopian tube

More than 5 years after her December 2018 diagnosis, she was alive at 1-year follow-up after metastatic recurrence, with multiple bone metastases still present.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dee's Patient Story

Patient Info: Dee Doherty, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Hormone-sensitive disease implied by letrozole and ovarian suppression; ER/PR/HER2 status not explicitly stated

Metastatic Site: bone

As of September 2024, Dee was living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Her tumors had not shrunk, but disease was stable on ribociclib/Kisqali, letrozole, and ovarian suppression.

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Stage 4 breast cancer: ongoing treatment with multi-line chemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: hormone receptor-negative; HER2 2+. 2011 recurrence: ER 10%; PR 70%; HER2 2+.

Metastatic Site: pleura/pleural effusion; lung

Metastatic breast cancer with malignant pleural effusion achieved complete response after chemotherapy and long-term endocrine therapy; PET-CT in October 2023 still showed complete response, with ongoing cardiac and bone-health management.

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Triple-negative breast cancer: partial response to immunotherapy combination

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; Ki-67 >80%

Metastatic Site: left lung, neck lymph nodes, mediastinal lymph nodes

Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer had a partial response after 9 months of pembrolizumab plus MK-4830, with reduced tumor burden, decreased lung and mediastinal metastases, and no new metastatic lesions; immunotherapy continued after prednisone controlled a grade 2 lichenoid eruption.

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HER2-Positive Breast Cancer That Spread to the Cervix

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

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; ER and PR less than 1% in the left breast tumor

Metastatic Site: cervix, esophagus, mediastinal lymph nodes

Cervical metastasis showed a local complete response after brachytherapy, but systemic disease later progressed to the esophagus. She died after 4 months of nutritional support and palliative treatment.

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Triple-positive breast cancer: complete response to targeted therapy

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

Biomarkers: Triple-positive breast cancer; SBDS variants present; no detected TP53 variant on MyeloSeq.

Metastatic Site: liver

Stage IV triple-positive breast cancer with liver metastasis achieved complete response after paclitaxel, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and G-CSF support; complete response was maintained for 18 months after treatment initiation while on maintenance HER2-directed and endocrine therapy.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Samantha's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: Hormone-positive breast cancer; specific receptor details not reported

Metastatic Site: bone: rib, spine, pelvis

As of July 2024, Samantha was living with Stage IV hormone-positive breast cancer with bone metastases. Current treatment was working in most areas, but a breast tumor continued to grow and was surgically removed; ongoing treatment and 3-month scans were reported.

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Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer in remission: CBD and exercise for neuropathy

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

Biomarkers: Triple-negative breast cancer. Blood and immune inflammation measures were tracked during neuropathy care.

Metastatic Site: liver

She was in remission for more than 5 years after Stage IV breast cancer with a solitary liver metastasis, while later managing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy with CBD and an exercise program that improved symptoms and function.

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BRCA2-mutant metastatic breast cancer: complete response with rucaparib maintenance

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

Biomarkers: Germline BRCA2 mutation; somatic BRCA2 mutation; HER2 amplification not seen by FISH; grade III IDC

Metastatic Site: bone

She maintained a complete response for 2 years on rucaparib, letrozole, and zoledronic acid after upfront metastatic BRCA2-mutated breast cancer involving bone, axillary nodes, and right-breast nodules.

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Metastatic invasive lobular breast carcinoma to pancreas: biliary stent and paclitaxel

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

Biomarkers: Primary breast tumor was triple-negative. Pancreatic metastasis was ER-positive/GATA-positive

Metastatic Site: pancreas; coelio-mesenteric lymph nodes

After 21 years of remission, she developed pancreatic and coelio-mesenteric nodal metastases from invasive lobular breast carcinoma; palliative paclitaxel was stopped after 2 courses because her condition deteriorated, and she was lost to follow-up.

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BRCA2-Positive Breast Cancer in a Woman With Down Syndrome

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-negative, HER2-negative, germline BRCA2 pathogenic variant

Metastatic Site: lungs, bones

The cancer later progressed with lung and bone metastases and extensive cancer spread through lymphatic vessels in both lungs. She died 59 months after breast surgery.

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Treatment-Refractory Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated With Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes

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

Biomarkers: Germline BRCA1 pathogenic variant; later triple-negative phenotype

Metastatic Site: skin, lungs, bones

Tumor burden briefly decreased after tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, but she developed severe treatment complications followed by rapid cancer relapse and died about 1 month after the TIL/IL-2 treatment began.

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Breast cancer lung metastasis treated with a minimally invasive freezing procedure

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; ER-negative

Metastatic Site: lungs

Follow-up PET/CT at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after cryoablation showed no progression or new lesions without systemic therapy.

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Breast Cancer Spread to the Sinuses, Eye Sockets and Skull

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive

Metastatic Site: ethmoid and frontal sinuses; both orbits; multiple…

At 1-year follow-up, the sino-orbital metastases had not progressed on neuroimaging, right-eye visual acuity remained good, and chemoradiotherapy had been tolerated without complication.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment Caused Severe Circulation Problems in Her Fingers and Toes

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

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

The digital ischaemia improved after gemcitabine was stopped, without revascularisation, debridement or amputation, although a small necrotic fingertip area persisted at 3 months. Metastatic breast cancer treatment continued with further systemic lines after progression.

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Stage IV PIK3CA Breast Cancer: Abigail's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: Hormone-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation and germline ATM mutation; later PD-L1 somatic change reported. HER2 not stated.

Metastatic Site: Bone, including femurs, spine, and humeri; later liver

As of October 2022, Abigail was living with Stage IV hormone-positive metastatic breast cancer after years of treatment, bone-dominant disease that later involved the liver, targeted therapies, genomic testing, and advocacy around clinical trials and patient research participation.

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Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Recurring in Groin Lymph Nodes

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: right inguinal lymph node; right iliac/pelvic lymph…

Her condition deteriorated after 3 cycles of palliative capecitabine. She developed vomiting, headache and seizures concerning for brain metastases and died about 4 months after the groin metastasis was detected.

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Triple-negative breast cancer first discovered through a duodenal metastasis

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

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; CK7-positive; GATA3-positive; vimentin-positive; CDX2-negative; CK20-negative., triple negative

Metastatic Site: duodenum

She died two days after choosing comfort-focused care, following rapid decline from metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with duodenal involvement and small-bowel obstruction.

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Stage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Carol's Survivor Story

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

Metastatic Site: Bone

Carol had de novo Stage IV breast cancer with bone metastases, achieved complete remission after chemotherapy, stayed on daily Letrozole for 10 years, then returned to NED/no active disease after Kisqali and Faslodex for bone progression.

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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 IV Breast Cancer: Harper's Patient Story

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

Harper was living with Stage IV breast cancer after self-funded private treatment that included mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; she felt better than before diagnosis but still hoped for complete recovery.

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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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