What happened, in summary

Sarah Cawley, a 32-year-old physician assistant and mother of 2, first noticed a breast lump while breastfeeding. That lump was a milk cyst, but she was advised to return after breastfeeding ended. At the next visit, another lump was found and monitored closely. When it grew, an excisional biopsy showed Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma. Although the mass was not large, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Two weeks after diagnosis, Sarah had a modified radical mastectomy. Her team then treated her with chemotherapy and radiation. She completed 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments; chemotherapy drug names were not specified. Sarah also enrolled in a clinical trial, though the trial treatment was not specified. Her care involved Cleveland Clinic’s Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program, which was designed for concerns that can be especially important in younger patients, including genetic risk and fertility issues. No biomarker result or genetic mutation was reported. As of August 2015, Sarah was still receiving treatment and credited her husband, a close friend and her faith with helping her through the process.