Stage IV BRCA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Langley's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- Biomarkers
- inherited BRCA mutation
- Sex
- female
- Spread to
- brain, bones, leptomeninges
- Treatment
- surgery and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- In 2017, she underwent a double mastectomy after a diagnosis of DCIS.
- After metastatic breast cancer was found in her brain, bones, and leptomeninges, she started a PARP inhibitor.
- After 1 year on treatment, scans showed no progression and some lesions had begun to shrink.
What happened, in summary
Langley Perer was 35 when she was diagnosed in 2017 with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. Genetic testing showed that she had inherited a BRCA mutation, and she underwent a double mastectomy in Los Angeles. In 2020, Langley began feeling generally unwell. About a year later, a drooping left eye, blurry vision, and severe headaches led to brain imaging that showed several abnormalities. A biopsy confirmed that breast cancer had spread to her brain. Further imaging found metastatic disease in her bones and in the leptomeninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Her Dana-Farber team recommended a PARP inhibitor because of the inherited BRCA mutation. Langley remained on the treatment for a year. Follow-up scans showed that the cancer was in check without progression, and some lesions had started to shrink. She focused on staying well enough to see her young son and daughter grow up, including milestones such as her daughter’s graduation and her son’s first guitar solo.
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