Stage III HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Nikki's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Subtype
- Inflammatory Breast Cancer
- Biomarkers
- HER2-positive; hormone receptor-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and hormone therapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing / Surgery Planned
Treatment course, step by step
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: 3 rounds of EC followed by 4 rounds of docetaxel, for 7 total rounds.
- Planned next steps at the time of the story: single mastectomy on June 9, then daily radiation for approximately 3 weeks and long-term hormone therapy.
- No HER2-directed drug was named in the interview.
What happened, in summary
Nikki first noticed sharp pain around her right nipple in August 2022. Because there was no lump and she had been told that cancer usually did not hurt, she attributed it to menopause. By late November, her nipple had become completely inverted. A biopsy and contrast imaging confirmed inflammatory breast cancer, a form that can spread through the breast without creating a single lump.
The cancer was grade 2, hormone-positive and HER2-positive, with regional lymph-node involvement but no distant spread on repeated PET scans. This was Nikki’s second cancer; years earlier, surgery had removed a separate neuroendocrine tumor from her small bowel.
Because inflammatory breast cancer can progress quickly, treatment began with chemotherapy to shrink the diffuse disease before surgery. Nikki completed 3 rounds of EC followed by 4 rounds of docetaxel, for 7 rounds in total. Treatment caused hair loss, severe fatigue, hand-foot symptoms, bone pain, mouth problems and early menopause. Imaging showed an excellent response with no visible disease, although her team explained that microscopic cancer could remain.
At the time of the interview, Nikki was preparing for a single mastectomy on June 9. Radiation every day for about 3 weeks and years of hormone therapy were planned afterward. She used her experience to emphasize that inflammatory breast cancer may cause pain, swelling, skin changes or nipple inversion even when no lump is present.
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