HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Feyama's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Feyama Ashby, a quality and compliance coordinator in MD Anderson’s diagnostic labs, noticed pain in her sternum that extended into her right breast. She initially thought she had pulled a muscle while working out, but the timing lined up with her annual mammogram. A week after the May 2021 mammogram, she was called back for more imaging and had 2 biopsies: one from a lymph node near her sternum and one from a mass in her right breast. On June 8, she learned she had HER2-positive breast cancer. Her care team moved quickly. Within a week, she had her first appointment, and the plan was 6 rounds of chemotherapy, then lumpectomy, then 6 weeks of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) radiation. Feyama began chemotherapy on July 2. Treatment caused hair loss, nausea, taste changes, fatigue, shortness of breath, and bone pain after pegfilgrastim injections. She also had port placement surgery. At surgery, the tumor and lymph nodes were removed, followed by breast reconstruction. In January 2022, after chemotherapy and surgery, she started 6 weeks of VMAT radiation, chosen partly to reduce long-term skin-pigment changes. As of September 2022, Feyama had completed treatment on June 24, 2022, and was moving into close monitoring for 5 years before transition to the breast cancer survivorship clinic.