Stage III Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Vanessa's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Vanessa Sanders had worked at MD Anderson for less than 1 year when she became a patient herself. She had felt a small lump in her left breast for years, but it had not bothered her. Then sharp chest pains began, sometimes so intense that they felt like labor contractions. A mammogram showed a suspicious growth, and biopsy confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma. Her first doctor told her it was Stage IV breast cancer, but Vanessa went to MD Anderson’s breast center for care. After repeat scans and biopsies, her team found that the cancer was actually Stage III, not Stage IV. She began a clinical trial designed to shrink the tumor before surgery. The chemotherapy combination included fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, docetaxel and capecitabine. Vanessa started treatment shortly after her 39th birthday in late November 2003. By the time of surgery, the lump had completely disappeared. As a precaution, her surgeon removed a small section of tissue where the tumor had been, and she was able to keep her breast. She then completed 6 weeks of radiation on August 25, 2004. As of November 2019, Vanessa had shown no evidence of disease for 15 years and was using her work on MD Anderson’s shuttle carts to encourage other patients.