Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Jennifer's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Jennifer Masters was 63 when she described the long road through Stage IV HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. She first noticed a lump in her left breast in February 2016 but waited several months before seeing a doctor. After a diagnosis of HER2-positive breast cancer, she received several months of chemotherapy at a nearby hospital and then had surgery. Radiation was being prepared, but before it began, doctors found that the cancer had spread to the chest wall or skin near the surgery incision and to lymph nodes. A second opinion at Cleveland Clinic led to a clinical trial. Jennifer and her husband drove 5 hours each way every 3 weeks for 2 years so she could receive treatment. The trial combined the antibody-drug conjugate T-DM1 every 3 weeks with escalating oral doses of neratinib. She responded after the first round: the chest wall lesions began disappearing and were gone completely within 3 months. Jennifer faced challenges but continued neratinib for several years with only occasional digestive problems. As of May 2025, the cancer had not returned for several years, her Cleveland Clinic visits were annual, and she had lived to see the birth of all 5 grandchildren. She also volunteered 3 days a week at the elementary school where she had worked.