Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Erin's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative (triple-negative); later tumor responded to androgen signaling
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Lung; brain
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and systemic therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial surgery found a 2.3 cm tumor and 1 involved lymph node, leading to Stage IIB
- Chemotherapy was AC-T: Adriamycin/Red Devil plus cyclophosphamide every 2 weeks for 4 treatments, then Taxol weekly for 12 weeks
- Carboplatin was also given every 3 weeks during the Taxol phase
- Radiation included 33 sessions: 28 to the breast/chest area plus 5 boost sessions
- Later metastatic recurrence included a lung tumor that was surgically removed/biopsied
- A 2-month daily androgen-blocking pill did not help
- Brain metastases were treated with brain radiation
- Gemzar plus carboplatin every 2 weeks had been ongoing since March 2019, with tumor shrinkage.
What happened, in summary
Erin first noticed an ache near her left breast and armpit, then later saw dimpling in the skin. A mammogram was clear, but she pointed the ultrasound team to the exact area, and a biopsy led to breast cancer care. Surgery found that what had looked like a 9 mm tumor was actually 2.3 cm, with 1 involved lymph node, changing the diagnosis to Stage IIB triple-negative breast cancer. She then received AC-T chemotherapy: Adriamycin, known as the Red Devil, plus cyclophosphamide every 2 weeks for 4 treatments, followed by weekly Taxol for 12 weeks with carboplatin every 3 weeks. Radiation included 33 sessions, with 28 sessions to the breast/chest area and 5 boost sessions. After treatment, Erin had no evidence of disease and did not need hormone therapy because the cancer was triple-negative. About 3 years later, she felt sick and a workup showed the breast cancer had returned, including disease in the lung. A lung tumor was surgically removed, but a daily androgen-blocking pill did not control the disease, and brain metastases were later found. Brain radiation was followed by Gemzar plus carboplatin every 2 weeks. As of June 2026, her tumors had shrunk on that ongoing treatment.
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