Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Jacqueline's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Biomarkers
- Initial ER-negative, PR-negative, HER2-negative (triple-negative); later HER2-positive, hormone receptor-negative
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- During pregnancy, immediate lumpectomy was done because triple-negative breast cancer could not wait until the second trimester
- Surgery had clear margins and negative lymph nodes, with Stage IA disease
- During pregnancy, received 16 chemotherapy rounds: 4 AC/Red Devil rounds followed by 12 weekly low-dose Taxol treatments
- Daughter was delivered 2 weeks after chemotherapy finished
- Radiation began 2 to 3 weeks after birth and lasted about 4.5 to 5 weeks, about 30 to 33 sessions
- Eight years later, a new HER2-positive, hormone receptor-negative breast cancer was found
- After 3 of 6 chemo treatments, ultrasound and MRI showed the tumor was no longer visible
- Targeted therapy was planned through September, with double mastectomy surgeries still ahead
- Specific current chemo/targeted drug names were not stated.
What happened, in summary
Jacqueline Bennett first noticed a breast lump months before diagnosis, but several doctors dismissed it as mastitis. In June 2017, shortly after learning she was pregnant again, a new OB/GYN sent her for ultrasound and biopsy. The biopsy confirmed breast cancer. Because she was only 9 days pregnant and had triple-negative breast cancer, her team did not want to leave the tumor in place until the second trimester. She had a lumpectomy the next Friday. Margins were clear, lymph nodes were negative, and the cancer was Stage IA. Jacqueline then went through 16 rounds of chemotherapy while pregnant: 4 rounds of AC, which she called the Red Devil, followed by 12 weekly low-dose Taxol treatments. Treatment became harder as blood counts dropped and anemia made stairs difficult. She finished the final Taxol treatment, then delivered her daughter Grace 2 weeks later. Radiation started 2 to 3 weeks after birth and lasted about 4.5 to 5 weeks, around 30 to 33 rounds. She entered survivorship and celebrated major milestones, including 5 years. Eight years later, she developed a new breast cancer diagnosis. The new cancer was HER2-positive and hormone receptor-negative. After 3 of 6 current treatments, ultrasound and MRI could no longer show the tumor. As of February 2026, she was continuing targeted therapy and preparing for double mastectomy surgeries.
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