Stage III HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dorothy's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Dorothy Paterson found a lump in her right breast while showering in 1998, even though her mammogram the year before had been clear. Testing first showed invasive ductal carcinoma, and additional evaluation at MD Anderson revealed HER2-positive breast cancer. The tumor in her right breast measured about 5 by 8 centimeters and had reached Stage III in less than a year. Dorothy was 42 during treatment. She had a bilateral mastectomy with breast reconstruction and 27 lymph nodes removed, 2 of which were cancerous. After surgery, she received 8 rounds of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, also called Adriamycin or the “red devil,” and cyclophosphamide, also called Cytoxan. Chemotherapy caused difficult side effects, including bone loss and sudden menopause with intense hot flashes. Exercise became one of Dorothy’s main ways to cope, and she continued running, swimming and cycling after treatment. She finished breast cancer treatment at MD Anderson in April 1999. As of November 2016, she had remained cancer-free and continued supporting other patients as a volunteer and advocate. Her story is mainly one of long-term survivorship after aggressive Stage III HER2-positive breast cancer treatment, and she later used that experience to encourage other breast cancer patients facing surgery, reconstruction and fear.