BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Sue's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Biomarkers
- BRCA2 mutation
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, genetic testing and risk reducing surgery
- Outcome
- Survivorship / Completed Treatment
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial breast cancer treatment included unilateral mastectomy
- After recurrence, she sought a second opinion and genetic counseling
- Halfway through chemotherapy, she learned she had a BRCA2 mutation
- The result changed risk-management discussions, including ovarian cancer risk
- Ovaries were removed soon after treatment
- Removal of the other breast was discussed as a risk-reducing option, but the source does not confirm it happened.
What happened, in summary
Sue Friedman was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 despite being proactive about her health and having no known family history of breast cancer. After initial treatment, she read about hereditary cancer and BRCA1/2 testing. The warning signs fit her: young-onset breast cancer, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and a possible abdominal cancer on her father’s side. She asked her medical team for BRCA testing, but the blood sample was never actually sent. Soon after, Sue had a recurrence and went to a cancer center for a second opinion. There, she received genetic counseling and learned halfway through chemotherapy that she carried a BRCA2 mutation. That result changed the decisions in front of her. She had already had a unilateral mastectomy for treatment, but now understood that her other breast was at high risk. She also had to think about ovarian cancer risk and whether to end fertility by removing her ovaries. Soon after treatment, she did have her ovaries removed and entered menopause at 35. The lack of patient resources for people making hereditary-cancer decisions led her to start FORCE, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. As of February 2023, Sue was a long-term breast cancer survivor, and this educational Patient Story video used her experience to explain why genetic testing can affect treatment, prevention, and family planning.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer