Stage I Breast Cancer: Yanzi's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage I
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormone therapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Yanzi underwent a mastectomy with lymph node removal.
- She received chemotherapy.
- She received targeted drug therapy.
- She received hormone therapy and remained on hormone medication after completing the other treatment.
What happened, in summary
At age 45, Yanzi received a text notification offering a free mammogram and decided to schedule the screening. She had no symptoms, but the mammogram was abnormal. Further evaluation at a nearby hospital led to a diagnosis of Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis left her fearful, surprised, confused, nervous, and overwhelmed.
Following her doctor’s recommendation, Yanzi underwent removal of the affected breast and lymph nodes. Her treatment also included chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and hormone therapy. She experienced diarrhea, fatigue, and hair loss and tried to manage these effects with better nutrition and prescribed medication. She also increased her exercise after diagnosis. By the time she shared her story, she had completed the other treatment and remained on hormone medication.
The cancer experience affected Yanzi’s family life as well as her emotional well-being. She contacted and visited her parents more often and hoped to travel abroad and spend more time with loved ones. Even years after diagnosis, she continued to worry about recurrence and described periods of loneliness, resentment, and vulnerability. Keeping busy helped her cope with that fear. Her longer-term hopes centered on staying healthy, maintaining close family relationships, and finding more opportunities to enjoy life.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Our Cancer Stories. 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