What happened, in summary

Loli was 63 when she shared the story of having breast cancer 3 times. About 4 years earlier, she felt a hard area in her breast, like mastitis, and quickly saw her gynecologist. An urgent ultrasound and biopsy led to a HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosis. Treatment moved fast: she had a mastectomy, removal of some lymph nodes, immediate reconstruction, and chemotherapy given as prevention. She gradually returned to daily life until, about 2 years later, she noticed a small mark on the same side. The cancer had returned. Doctors removed lymph nodes and restarted chemotherapy, but treatment had to be paused during the pandemic. Months later, a follow-up visit found a nodule in her liver. The breast cancer had caused liver metastasis, and her oncologist referred her to ICO because she needed treatment not available at her original center. There, her doctor proposed a clinical trial. Loli was unsure at first, but her husband encouraged her to see it as an opportunity. As of March 2022, she was receiving chemotherapy every 21 days and trying to accept that treatment might be lifelong. Side effects were different from her first chemotherapy, and she remained grateful that research gave her another option.