Stage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Carol's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Carol’s metastatic lobular breast cancer began in fall 2010, the year she retired from a 45-year nursing career and turned 65. While showering, she felt an itchy sensation deep in her left breast and found a long, hard tissue mass. Bilateral breast biopsies showed a large lobular tumor on the left side and a small ductal tumor in the right breast. Her oncologist said the 7.5 cm lobular tumor had likely been growing for years, despite 25 years of negative mammograms. After PET scan and breast MRI, Carol was diagnosed with de novo Stage IV breast cancer with bone metastases in 8 locations. Treatment began with 4 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, followed by 12 weekly doses of Abraxane and Avastin. Avastin was stopped after the 4th dose because her platelets dropped and did not recover. A PET scan showed complete remission, and she then took daily Letrozole as maintenance for 10 years. After progression in her bones in fall 2020, she started Kisqali and Faslodex. As of July 2021, 6 months into that regimen, her PET scan showed no new activity and good clinical response, and she described herself as NED, with no evidence of active disease. She continued to use her experience to encourage education about dense breasts and metastatic ILC.