Stage II Breast Cancer: Renée's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Renée first had cancer at 18, when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Treatment had to move too quickly for fertility preservation, and she was told it would likely cause infertility. She received intensive chemotherapy, total-body radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, then entered remission. For years afterward, she lived with long-term monitoring and the knowledge that treatment could raise the risk of a second cancer. At 35, after noticing a change by looking in the mirror rather than feeling a lump, she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. Because she had already received high cumulative chemotherapy exposure as a teen, her team chose a different chemotherapy plan and saved remaining doxorubicin exposure in case it was needed later. Surgery came first: a unilateral left mastectomy with removal of left-arm lymph nodes. After recovery, she received chemotherapy again, described as Taxotere and Cytoxan with home injections, for about 6 months / 6 total rounds. She then had about 25 sessions of targeted radiation to the chest and parts of the arm. Later scans also led to thyroid removal for tumors. She remained on a long-term hormone/anti-cancer regimen and later had a right mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction. As of February 2023, Renée said her health was stable and treatments were working, but she did not call herself cancer-free; she called herself a survivor and thriver.