Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Stephanie Rifici Thorkelson noticed a breast lump while nursing her first son and initially thought it was another clogged milk duct. When the lump did not go away after about 1 month, she saw her Ob/Gyn. Mammogram and biopsy showed breast cancer shortly after she had learned she was pregnant with her second child. Testing showed triple-negative breast cancer, and genetic testing was negative. Stephanie came to Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion, where a young-women’s breast cancer team built a plan for both Stephanie and the fetus. Because chemotherapy can be dangerous during the first trimester and late pregnancy, surgery came first. At about 14 weeks pregnant, Stephanie had a lumpectomy. A lymph node biopsy at the same time showed the cancer had not spread outside the breast. After 1 month of recovery, she received 4 rounds of chemotherapy every 3 weeks during pregnancy, with close monitoring of both mother and baby. Shortly after 36 weeks, Stephanie delivered a healthy son, Leo, and breastfed him for about 1 month before starting the next chemotherapy phase with a drug that was not safe for nursing. Radiation followed and made holding her children painful at times. As of October 2022, she had completed all treatment in January 2022, was cancer-free, and had no evidence of cancer.