Targeted Therapy for Stage 4 Breast Cancer: 142 Real Stories

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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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Pam's Patient Story

Patient Info: Pam Benchley, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Not explicitly reported; treated with anti-estrogen therapy and a CDK4/6 inhibitor

Metastatic Site: Liver

As of October 2020, Pam had responded favorably to anti-estrogen therapy plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor, surgery, radiation and liver radiofrequency ablation; her oncologist described her as free of evidence of active cancer, while avoiding the term cancer-free for metastatic disease.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Christine's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Christine Hodgdon, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Christine had no evidence of disease after 1 year and continued HER2-targeted treatment with regular surveillance scans.

Stage IV Breast Cancer: Kirby's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kirby Lewis, Male | Stage IV

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

Metastatic Site: lung|spine

Kirby was living with metastatic breast cancer, and his most recent scans showed the right-lung tumor was stable with no signs of progression while he continued fulvestrant and palbociclib.

Stage IV BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Lisa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lisa Quinn, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Inherited BRCA2 mutation

Metastatic Site: bone, liver

Lisa Quinn died on August 30, 2021, after sharing her experience with metastatic breast cancer and advocating for cancer research funding.

Stage IV Breast Cancer: Dan's Patient Story

Patient Info: Dan DiNardo, Male, 40s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Left femoral ball/hip; spine; lymph nodes; chest

As of January 2020, Dan was living with metastatic recurrent male breast cancer on ongoing hormone-blocking therapy plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor after surgery and hip radiation; his cancer had shown no growth for 1 year.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Janet's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Janet Klein, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Bone: left iliac bone

Janet’s Stage 1 breast cancer later recurred and metastasized to the left iliac bone, but she had no sign of cancer from January 2010 onward while continuing palbociclib plus letrozole.

Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Kate's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kate Watson, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: Chest lymph nodes; spine; pelvis; femur

As of October 2019, Kate had been in remission for about 3 years with regular PET scans showing no evidence of active disease, while continuing monthly HER2-targeted maintenance treatment.

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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 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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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 Liver Progression Treated Through Multiple Chemotherapy Lines

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER 90%, HER2 3+, Ki67 15%. Liver metastasis: ER 30%

Metastatic Site: pleura, liver

After several periods of response and later liver progression, she remained on active treatment with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin.

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Metastatic Lobular Breast Cancer With Long-Term Disease Control Across Multiple Therapies

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER negative, HER2 negative, Ki67 17%. 2006 recurrence: ER 40%

Metastatic Site: pleura, liver, skin, bone

She was alive on ongoing metronomic vinorelbine with substantial disease stabilization at the most recent follow-up.

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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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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Lindsey's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lindsey Ballas, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Not reported

As of September 2017, Lindsey was living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer on advanced targeted maintenance therapy every 3 weeks, with stable disease and continued work and family life.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sarah's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; BRCA and other known hereditary breast cancer genes not identified in family history discussion

As of January 2017, Sarah had been living for almost 3 years with recurrent Stage IV HER2-positive breast cancer and was receiving Kadcyla every 3 weeks.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Debora's Patient Story

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

Debora was living with metastatic breast cancer after Stage III disease treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy; four years after surgery, she was told the cancer had metastasized and was on targeted therapy.

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Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer Diagnosed After Severe Breast Pain and Swelling Following Mammography

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

Biomarkers: ER negative, PR negative, HER2 highly positive

After later metastatic disease was found, she chose no further active treatment and died of progressive disease in 2012.

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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 Breast Cancer: Su's Patient Story

Patient Info: Su Chiao | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: bones, thymus, liver

After 7 years, the breast cancer had spread to the bones and thymus, and more recently it spread to the liver, where she underwent embolization.

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