Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Kate's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- HER2-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Chest lymph nodes; spine; pelvis; femur
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, targeted therapy, antibody therapy and maintenance therapy
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Intensive chemotherapy for 3 months after Stage IV diagnosis
- monthly IV maintenance therapy through a chest port with trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab (Perjeta), and other medicines. She did not undergo surgery.
What happened, in summary
Kate Watson was 35, with 2 young daughters, when she learned she had Stage IV HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The cancer had already spread beyond the breast to lymph nodes in her chest and to spots in her spine, pelvis and one femur. The diagnosis was especially shocking because she had no breast cancer family history, exercised, never smoked and was younger than routine mammography screening age. Kate began intensive chemotherapy immediately after diagnosis and continued those cycles for 3 months. Her cancer was HER2-positive, a subtype that can respond strongly to HER2-targeted treatment. After chemotherapy, her care shifted to ongoing monthly maintenance therapy through an IV port in her chest. That maintenance combination included trastuzumab (Herceptin), pertuzumab (Perjeta) and other medicines. She did not have surgery. The treatment produced a complete response and regular PET scans later showed no evidence of active disease. As of October 2019, Kate had been in remission for about 3 years while still receiving monthly maintenance therapy. She also became an advocate for metastatic breast cancer research, raising funds and awareness because HER2-targeted drugs had made her long-term survival possible.
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