Stage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Kristine's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Lymph nodes; chest wall; upper lungs
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and oral chemotherapy
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- Benign fibroadenoma removed in 2008; later mammogram/biopsy diagnosed invasive ductal breast cancer
- February 2010 lumpectomy, then double mastectomy 2 weeks later after a lymph node tested positive
- Intravenous chemotherapy from April to September 2010, followed by remission and return to work
- April 2017 CT for lung symptoms found an enlarged underarm lymph node; biopsy confirmed recurrent breast cancer in lymph nodes, chest wall, and upper lungs
- Surgery removed lymph nodes and a mass
- 30 radiation treatments over 6 weeks
- Daily oral chemotherapy continued because not all disease could be removed.
What happened, in summary
Kristine Bishop first noticed a slightly painful breast lump in 2008. It was a fibroadenoma, a noncancerous tumor, and it was removed. A year later, her mother pushed her to keep a follow-up mammogram appointment. That mammogram showed a tiny starburst-like area, and biopsy diagnosed invasive ductal breast cancer. Kristine had a lumpectomy in February 2010. Two weeks later, after a lymph node tested positive, she had a double mastectomy. She then received intravenous chemotherapy from April through September 2010 and went into remission. After medical leave, she returned to work and later joined Cleveland Clinic Akron General’s Breast Health Center, using her experience as both a nurse and patient to support others with breast cancer. In April 2017, a CT scan for a lung-related issue unexpectedly showed an enlarged lymph node in her armpit. Biopsy confirmed that breast cancer had returned and had metastasized to lymph nodes, the chest wall and the upper lungs. Kristine had lymph nodes and a mass removed, then completed 30 radiation treatments over 6 weeks. Because not all cancer could be removed, she started a daily oral chemotherapy pill to help keep it controlled. As of May 2020, she was living with cancer and continuing to help other patients feel less alone.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Cleveland Clinic. 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