Stage IV Breast Cancer: Britney's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Bone; liver; brain; lungs
- Treatment
- surgery, targeted therapy, systemic therapy, surveillance and supportive care
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- Double mastectomy happened about 1 week after diagnosis, before metastatic disease was identified
- PET scan about 1 month later showed Stage IV spread to bones and liver
- Later disease sites included brain and lungs
- Ongoing systemic treatment was given every 21 days for about 8 years, with scans every 3-4 months
- Current treatment named in the source was Enhertu, with nausea and fatigue
- Latest scan described liver clear, bone regression, and lung regression.
What happened, in summary
Britney Beadle was 18 and still in high school when she found a breast lump in February 2015. An ultrasound and mammogram were arranged, but she was told 18-year-olds do not get breast cancer. A few months later, the lump had grown and her nipple inverted. Repeat imaging led to a biopsy, and she learned the same day that she had breast cancer and would need a double mastectomy. Surgery was scheduled about 1 week later, on the day of her senior prom. At first, Britney thought the cancer had been caught early. About 1 month after surgery, a PET scan showed it was already Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, with spread throughout her bones and in her liver. Later disease sites included the brain and, more recently, the lungs. She has continued scans every 3 to 4 months and treatment every 21 days for about 8 years. As of August 2023, she was on Enhertu, a difficult treatment for her because of nausea and fatigue but one she described as a miracle treatment for many people. Her latest described scan showed her liver was clear, with regression in the bones and lungs after prior progression. Britney was living with Stage IV disease while advocating for herself and emphasizing that metastatic breast cancer can still include a full life.
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