Stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Nikki's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Subtype
- Inflammatory Breast Cancer
- Biomarkers
- Hormone-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and hormone therapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- 2016 neuroendocrine tumor in lymph nodes and small bowel was treated with keyhole surgery
- For 2022 Stage III inflammatory hormone-positive breast cancer, received 3 rounds of Red Devil chemotherapy
- Then received 4 rounds of docetaxel plus a 7th chemotherapy dose because microscopic disease was still possible
- Planned next steps were recovery, single mastectomy without reconstruction for at least 1 year, daily radiotherapy for 3 weeks, and years of hormone therapy.
What happened, in summary
Nikki, a 47-year-old mother and teacher, had already survived a rare cancer before her breast cancer diagnosis. In 2016, while breastfeeding her long-awaited son, a doctor reviewed years of bowel and IBS-like complaints and investigated further. That workup found a Stage III neuroendocrine tumor in her lymph nodes and small bowel. Keyhole surgery removed it, and she had been free of that cancer since 2017 with yearly checks. In August 2022, she developed pain around her right nipple. Because she had no lump and had heard that breast cancer usually did not hurt, she explained the pain away for months. By late November, her nipple became completely inverted. An urgent referral led to mammogram, CT contrast imaging, and biopsy. The diagnosis was Stage III inflammatory breast cancer, hormone-positive, grade 2, with lymph-node involvement but no distant spread on PET scans. Her cancer was diffuse through the breast rather than a single lump. Treatment started with 3 rounds of Red Devil chemotherapy, followed by 4 rounds of docetaxel. A 7th chemotherapy dose was added because tiny residual disease remained possible. As of July 2023, Nikki had completed chemotherapy and was recovering before a planned single mastectomy, then 3 weeks of daily radiotherapy and years of hormone therapy.
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