Stage IV BRCA2 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Marissa's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Biomarkers
- BRCA2 mutation; HER2-negative; PARP inhibitor resistance/progression described
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- bone marrow / bone; lymph nodes; skull lesions
- Treatment
- targeted therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and supportive care
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial recommended plan was hormone therapy, surgery, and radiation; chemotherapy was uncertain
- She declined those initial treatments and used an integrative approach
- A PARP inhibitor was used for about 4 months for BRCA2/HER2-negative disease
- PARP inhibitor stopped after resistance/progression to bone
- After Stage IV progression, hormone blockers made the breast tumors disappear within about 1 month
- Low-dose oral chemotherapy started in March 2025 for bone disease
- Supportive/alternative therapies were also used for bone pain.
What happened, in summary
Marissa was 31 and raising young children when fatigue, nighttime hot flashes, restless legs, and a lump in her right breast led to testing. On February 17, 2024, biopsy confirmed Stage II invasive lobular carcinoma in the right breast, with positive lymph nodes. Her initial team discussed hormone therapy, surgery, and radiation, with chemotherapy uncertain because lobular carcinoma may respond less well to it. Genetic testing showed a BRCA2 mutation. Marissa felt afraid of side effects and sought an integrative clinic, declining the initial standard treatments. She later used a PARP inhibitor for BRCA2, HER2-negative disease for about 4 months, but the cancer developed resistance and progressed to bone, making the diagnosis Stage IV. Looking back, she said she regretted not starting hormone therapy sooner. Once she began hormone blockers, her breast tumors were gone within about 1 month, but bone marrow/bone disease, lymph nodes, and skull lesions still needed treatment. She started low-dose oral chemotherapy in March 2025 and continued supportive therapies at her clinic to help with bone pain, fatigue, hot flashes, and early-menopause symptoms from hormone blockade. As of October 2025, Marissa was still in active Stage IV treatment, supported by her husband, mother, and stepfather while focusing on time with her children.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. Read the original in full
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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