Stage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Callie's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage II
- Subtype
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- Biomarkers
- ER-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, reconstruction, hysterectomy and physical therapy
- Outcome
- Survivorship / Completed Treatment
Treatment course, step by step
- Stage IIB grade 2 ER-positive IDC diagnosed after breast dimpling/bulge, urgent mammogram/ultrasound, BI-RADS 5 imaging, and biopsy
- mastectomy chosen so radiation could be avoided; lymph nodes removed, causing mild lymphedema and need for physical therapy
- ACT chemotherapy: Adriamycin + cyclophosphamide/Cytoxan together for 4 rounds every 2 weeks from early June to late August, complicated by sepsis and a treatment pause; then 12 weekly Taxol treatments
- reconstruction process with expander, implant, and later correction of sunken area planned through 2019
- hysterectomy in December; completed everything directly treating cancer by the end of 2019.
What happened, in summary
Callie was 38 when she noticed dimpling and a bulge in her breast. Her husband urged her to take it seriously, and her primary care doctor quickly arranged a mammogram and ultrasound. The radiologist told her the mammogram was BI-RADS 5, highly suspicious for cancer, and biopsy confirmed Stage IIB, grade 2, ER-positive invasive ductal carcinoma. Because the tumor was large, her surgeon felt mastectomy was the best path and hoped it would help her avoid radiation. Lymph nodes were removed during surgery, leaving Callie with mild lymphedema and a need for physical therapy. Chemotherapy followed. Her ACT regimen included Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide/Cytoxan together for 4 rounds every 2 weeks, then 12 weekly Taxol treatments. She lost her hair, had nausea, vomiting, fatigue, chemo brain, dryness, and some neuropathy. A bladder infection and very low white blood cells led to sepsis and a treatment pause before she could continue. Reconstruction became a 3-part process with an expander, implant, and later correction of a sunken area. She also had a hysterectomy in December. As of June 2026, Callie described being done with everything directly treating the cancer by the end of 2019 and rebuilding life with her husband, sons, and family.
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