Stage III HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Stefanie's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Subtype
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- Biomarkers
- ER-positive, PR-positive and HER2-positive (triple-positive)
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery and radiation
- Outcome
- Treatment Completed / Survivorship
Treatment course, step by step
- 4 rounds of AC every other week → planned 12 weekly treatments with Taxol plus Herceptin; treatment was paused temporarily when her heart ejection fraction fell → lumpectomy and lymph-node removal, followed 1 week later by repeat lumpectomy for clear margins → Herceptin once weekly for 9 months after surgery → 30 radiation treatments.
What happened, in summary
Stefanie first noticed a breast lump when she was 5 months pregnant and assumed it was a clogged milk duct. The night she delivered her second child by scheduled C-section, a postpartum nurse raised concern about the lump. An ultrasound was inconclusive, so a biopsy was performed the next day. Two days after giving birth, Stefanie was told she had stage 3 triple-positive breast cancer.
Her planned treatment began with 4 rounds of AC every other week, followed by 12 weekly treatments with Taxol and Herceptin. AC caused bone pain, nausea and severe fatigue. Taxol and Herceptin were easier, but a drop in her heart’s ejection fraction forced a temporary pause and care from a heart specialist. Because chemotherapy had to stop for a time, surgery was moved earlier.
Stefanie underwent a lumpectomy with lymph-node removal on January 27. A second lumpectomy followed 1 week later because the first operation did not achieve clear margins. After surgery, she received Herceptin weekly for 9 months and completed 30 radiation treatments.
Treatment unfolded while she cared for a newborn and a 6-year-old. Hair loss, being unable to lift her baby after surgery and returning to work as a special-education preschool teacher were especially difficult. In survivorship, Stefanie remained alert to every body change, but she also described days when cancer no longer dominated her thoughts.
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