Stage IV BRCA Breast Cancer: Dena's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- Hormone receptor-positive; BRCA mutation
- Spread to
- spine
- Treatment
- surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and clinical trial
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- She underwent surgery to remove the mass pressing on her spine.
- She then received radiation.
- She began hormone therapy together with a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
- She later joined a clinical trial that monitors for an estrogen receptor mutation that can signal resistance.
What happened, in summary
Dena Ofengeim was 28 in December 2021 when worsening back pain and leg weakness sent her to the emergency room. Imaging found a mass pressing on the nerves of her spine. Surgery removed the mass, and a biopsy showed that it was breast cancer that had spread. Dena initially needed a wheelchair and began the long process of rebuilding her mobility. Testing showed that the breast cancer was hormone receptor-positive. After back surgery and radiation, she started hormone therapy together with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. Her improvement was rapid, and she gradually returned to walking, cycling, work, and daily life. Genetic testing also found a BRCA mutation. Her care team discussed a PARP inhibitor as a possible future option if the current regimen stopped working, but it was not part of her current treatment. Dena also joined a clinical trial that monitors for an estrogen receptor mutation associated with hormone-therapy resistance and could help guide a future treatment switch. By the time of the story, she was active again and had completed the 162-mile Pan-Mass Challenge, using her recovery to support cancer research while continuing treatment for metastatic disease.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Dana-Farber. 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