Stage II BRCA1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Stephanie's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Stephanie Hargis was 25 when she found a painful lump in her right breast in March 2022. With no family history and her young age, she and her clinicians first thought it might be an inflamed lymph node. Ultrasound and biopsy instead showed Stage II triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma. Stephanie was finishing her social work degree and chose not to delay surgery while waiting for genetic results. In April 2022, she had a double mastectomy. Testing then showed a BRCA1 mutation, which also raised her future ovarian cancer risk. She began chemotherapy in June 2022 with doxorubicin and Cytoxan and finished on Halloween. In April 2023, surveillance found a local recurrence. A PET scan had been normal, and further scans showed no distant spread. In May, Stephanie had a lumpectomy and 12 lymph nodes removed; all were negative. Treatment restarted in June 2023 with gemcitabine, carboplatin, and Keytruda. She finished chemotherapy and the first part of immunotherapy on October 27, then completed 21 radiation sessions. She later resumed Keytruda for 8 months and started Lynparza, 2 tablets twice daily for 6 months, while continuing graduate school and caring for her daughter. Her story also shows how recurrence treatment can overlap with school, parenting, fatigue, and long recovery.