Stage II Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Lizzie's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

In October 2020, Lizzie noticed an area in her right breast that felt similar to the dense tissue she had felt before, but this time it did not change with her monthly cycle. Her routine screening had been delayed during COVID, leaving 19 months between mammograms. One month after she sought testing, she was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive lobular carcinoma and lobular carcinoma in situ.

MRI, another biopsy and Oncotype testing helped guide her treatment decisions. She chose a single right mastectomy with lymph-node removal in January 2021. Two lymph nodes contained cancer, so she completed 5 weeks of radiation. A second operation in October 2021 was related to reconstruction. Chemotherapy was not needed, and she began an aromatase inhibitor planned for 10 years.

Lizzie lived in rural upstate New York but received treatment in Boston during strict COVID restrictions. Her family could not attend appointments, and she stayed alone in a hotel for 5 weeks. She walked about 5 miles each day to and from the hospital, turning an isolating period into part of her recovery.

After treatment, Lizzie became involved in patient advocacy. She focused on plain-language information, clinical-trial awareness and better representation of lobular breast cancer in research. Learning that lobular tumors can remain hidden in dense breast tissue also strengthened her commitment to asking for appropriate ongoing screening.