Stage IV Breast Cancer: Sherri's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- BRCA1-negative
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Bone marrow
- Treatment
- targeted therapy, chemotherapy, surgery and ctDNA monitoring
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Metastatic breast cancer: multiple transfusions before treatment
- targeted treatment every 3 weeks, including Herceptin; breast mass and swollen lymph node resolved and breast surgery was not needed. Separate colon cancer: colonoscopy after stool blood
- polyp/rectal abnormality workup
- colon resection/robotic surgery; 35 lymph nodes tested and 2 were positive
- post-surgery residual-cancer blood test negative
- oxaliplatin every 3 weeks to reduce recurrence risk.
What happened, in summary
Sherri was first diagnosed in November 2022 with aggressive Stage IV metastatic breast cancer after her blood counts dropped and doctors found a breast mass. The cancer had spread to her bone marrow, so she needed multiple transfusions before starting treatment. She then began targeted treatment every 3 weeks. Her response was strong: after several scans, the last 2 showed no evidence of disease, the breast mass disappeared, a swollen lymph node under her arm resolved, and she did not need breast surgery. During the breast cancer workup, stool testing found blood. Because she was physically vulnerable, colonoscopy was delayed until after 12 rounds of Herceptin. When it was finally done, doctors found a cancerous polyp and a separate rectal abnormality that was not cancer. Surgery showed a separate early Stage III colon cancer, with 2 of 35 lymph nodes positive. Sherri had a colon resection/robotic surgery, and a residual-cancer blood test that was positive before surgery became negative after the cancer was removed. As of November 2023, her breast cancer was controlled with no evidence of disease on scans, but she was still receiving targeted treatment every 3 weeks and had started oxaliplatin every 3 weeks to reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrence.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. 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