Stage IV Breast Cancer: Kattysmith's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- lymphatic system; skin/soft-tissue nodules; possible lung involvement
- Treatment
- surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial treatment in 2003: lumpectomy with sentinel-node biopsy showing no spread, radiation, and tamoxifen.
- Metastatic recurrence in 2015: surgical removal of several nodules for diagnosis, doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) chemotherapy from November through January, then palbociclib (Ibrance) 100 mg plus letrozole from February.
What happened, in summary
Kattysmith was first diagnosed with borderline Stage I/II breast cancer in 2003, shortly before turning 51. She underwent lumpectomy with sentinel-node biopsy, which showed no spread, followed by radiation and tamoxifen. After years of follow-up, breast cancer gradually occupied less of her daily thinking.
In 2015, multiple lumps appeared on her torso, arms, breast, neck, and near her ribs. When one on her upper arm grew to almost the size of a golf ball, surgery to remove several nodules showed recurrent Stage IV breast cancer involving her lymphatic system, with a possible lung lesion. She received AC chemotherapy from November through January. The palpable lumps began shrinking after the first infusion, and post-treatment scans and bloodwork showed major improvement.
She then started palbociclib and letrozole and remained completely stable, with tumor markers continuing to fall. She was not cancer-free and had low neutrophil counts and reduced stamina, but otherwise felt normal. Humor, her husband, her son’s family, and caring for several pets helped her live with metastatic disease. Financial insecurity after losing her job and insurance remained one of her greatest concerns.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by breastcancer.org. 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