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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Metastatic Breast Cancer With Bone and Liver Progression After Multiple Therapies

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER 80%, HER2 negative, Ki67 18%. Liver metastasis: ER 75%

Metastatic Site: bone, liver

After massive hepatic progression and liver failure, chemotherapy was stopped and she died on January 31, 2016.

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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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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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From Healthcare Advocate to Breast Cancer Patient – And Back

Patient Info: Anonymized, female

Five years after treatment, she was working, advocating for patients, and described herself as thriving after breast cancer.

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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 II BRCA1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Roxana's Patient Story

Patient Info: Roxana Lopez, female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: BRCA1 positive

After chemotherapy and bilateral mastectomy, Roxana continued regular screening for breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers and melanoma.

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Breast Cancer: Monica's Patient Story

Patient Info: Monica Wright, 40s

Monica completed her final chemotherapy round after lumpectomy, supported throughout treatment by friends, family and peers.

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Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together

Patient Info: Anonymized, Under 40

Biomarkers: Li-Fraumeni syndrome

At 36, six months after giving birth, this patient was diagnosed with hormone-sensitive breast cancer and later learned she had Li-Fraumeni syndrome, shaping her decision to avoid radiation.

Dana-FarberRead more →

How I Told My Young Children I Had Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Completed chemotherapy in August 2014 and her final surgery in November 2014.

Dana-FarberRead more →

Stage III Breast Cancer: Melissa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Melissa Angiolillo, Female, Under 40 | Stage III

Completed double mastectomy, 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments over the prior 8 months.

Dana-FarberRead more →

HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Trish's Patient Story

Patient Info: Trish Vickery, female, 50s

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

At 58, Trish was living an active life after treatment, including working, traveling, exercising, and rowing.

Dana-FarberRead more →

Breast Cancer: Marianne's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Marianne Gongos, Female, 60s

Marianne had been breast cancer-free since June 13, 2013. Her separate chronic myeloid leukemia was also in remission after she restarted its medication.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer and an Atypical Femoral Fracture During Ibandronate Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s

She was living with bone-metastatic breast cancer when a suspected new femoral metastasis was instead recognized as an atypical femoral fracture during long-term ibandronate treatment.

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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 II Breast Cancer: Natalia's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Natalia | Stage II

Natalia was declared cancer-free on February 21, 2024, and continued regular follow-up while taking letrozole.

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Stage II Breast Cancer: Tasha's Patient Story

Patient Info: Tasha | Stage II

She completed surgery and radiation and is doing well as a survivor while continuing tamoxifen.

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Stage III Breast Cancer: Elizabeth's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Elizabeth, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: Cancer described as highly hormone-dependent.

Elizabeth said she was in remission and no longer required treatment after lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and an aromatase-inhibitor clinical trial.

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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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Breast Cancer: Amanda's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Amanda

Biomarkers: CDH1 gene deletion

About 7 years after gastrectomy and mastectomy, Amanda said all of the cancer had been removed, although long-term effects of surgery continued to affect daily life.

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Male Breast Cancer Treatment Complicated by Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s

After the third chemotherapy cycle he developed severe Stevens-Johnson syndrome with disseminated intravascular coagulation and multiorgan failure, and he died after care was shifted to comfort measures.

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Stage III HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorothy's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Dorothy Paterson, Female, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

As of November 2016, Dorothy had remained cancer-free since completing treatment for Stage III HER2-positive invasive ductal carcinoma in April 1999.

MD AndersonRead more →

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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HER2-Positive Right Breast Cancer With Complete Response Before Bilateral Mastectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s

Biomarkers: ER negative, PR negative, HER2 positive

After neoadjuvant treatment, imaging showed complete resolution of the right-breast mass and mastectomy pathology found no residual right-breast tumor or malignant right sentinel node.

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