Stage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kerri's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Kerri was 49, living on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, and used to regular mammograms because of a family history of breast cancer. In March 2018, shortly after her yearly mammogram, she received a letter saying the mammogram was clear. Five months later, while showering, she felt a small lump at the bottom of her right breast. She was not overly worried, but her general practitioner sent her for ultrasound. That scan showed something irregular, so Kerri had an MRI and biopsy. The biopsy confirmed cancer, and the MRI showed what looked like a 2 cm lump. She first had a lumpectomy. One week later, her surgeon told her the diagnosis was Stage III invasive lobular carcinoma, a moment Kerri described as intensely stressful because it forced major decisions quickly. She then had a double mastectomy. After surgery, she learned that the tumor in her right breast was over 12.5 cm and had not been seen on mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI. Learning that ILC can grow in a spiderweb-like pattern helped explain why it had been difficult to detect. Kerri later used LBCA resources and encouraged other patients to be kind to themselves, accept help, and keep advocating.