Stage I Breast Cancer: Deborah's Patient Story

Patient Info: Deborah Brown, Female, 60s | Stage I

As of October 2020, Deborah had completed lumpectomy and 5 focused radiation treatments for Stage I breast cancer and remained on oral hormone therapy; chemotherapy was not needed and recurrence status was not otherwise stated.

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Stage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Allison's Patient Story

Patient Info: Allison Rebello, female, 40s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: bones (neck, spine, hip, ribs), lungs

As of October 2020, Allison’s metastatic breast cancer was stable and she was feeling well on daily oral cancer therapy.

Dana-FarberRead more →

Stage IV Breast Cancer: Pam's Patient Story

Patient Info: Pam Benchley, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Not explicitly reported; treated with anti-estrogen therapy and a CDK4/6 inhibitor

Metastatic Site: Liver

As of October 2020, Pam had responded favorably to anti-estrogen therapy plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor, surgery, radiation and liver radiofrequency ablation; her oncologist described her as free of evidence of active cancer, while avoiding the term cancer-free for metastatic disease.

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Colon Cancer Survivor: "I Didn't Think I Had Symptoms, Diagnosed Stage 3B" | Shelley's Story

Patient Info: Shelley Brown, Female | Stage III

As of October 2020, Shelley was in remission / no evidence of disease several years after Stage IIIB sigmoid colon cancer treatment, with ongoing surveillance by scans, CEA, and colonoscopy.

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Sjögren syndrome during nivolumab treatment for HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: liver, lungs, adrenal gland

One year after nivolumab was stopped, the shrinkage of lung metastases was maintained and the adrenal metastasis remained unchanged, although severe dry-mouth symptoms from treatment-related Sjögren syndrome persisted.

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Stage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Jessica's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Jessica Duemig, Female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative

As of October 2020, Jessica had been considered cured since February 2020 after treatment for Stage IIA triple-negative metaplastic breast cancer and was described as living life to the fullest about 3 years after diagnosis.

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Dural metastasis causing seizures after treatment for signet-ring gastric cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: dura mater

She died 16 days after hospital admission for neurologic symptoms, roughly 8 months after the original gastric-cancer diagnosis, following rapid deterioration from diffuse dural metastatic disease.

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Stage I Left Breast Cancer Treated With Surgery and Radiation

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage I

Imaging in January 2019 found no evidence of breast-cancer recurrence.

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Stage IIIA Right Breast Cancer Followed by a Late Radiation Nerve Injury

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage III

Imaging in January 2019 found no evidence of breast-cancer recurrence, although she had developed radiation-induced brachial plexopathy.

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Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated With Mastectomy and Chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: Triple-negative.

The later accessory-breast-tissue cancer was considered a separate new primary after a five-year interval, and she was currently without evidence of disease.

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A New Breast Cancer Arising Beneath an Accessory Nipple

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: ER 5%; PR 5–10%; HER2-negative.

After chemotherapy, surgery, endocrine therapy, proton radiation, and later reconstruction revision, she was currently without evidence of disease.

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Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Ben's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Ben Simcox, Male, Under 40 | Stage III

As of September 2020, Ben was cancer-free for almost 3 years after treatment for rectal cancer with 3 positive lymph nodes, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and 6 additional months of chemotherapy.

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Stage III Ovarian Cancer: Jackie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Jackie Page, Female, 50s | Stage III

In remission with no sign of recurrent disease at the September 2020 publication, while continuing treatment on the clinical trial.

Dana-FarberRead more →

MSI-High Gastric Cancer With a Complete Response to Preoperative Nivolumab

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s

Biomarkers: MSI-high; PD-L1 expression in more than 1% of tumor cells; HER2 negative

Surgery found a complete pathologic response with no residual tumor cells and no cancer in 12 lymph nodes. At the time of reporting, she had no complaints and had returned to normal activities.

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Five years recurrence-free after surgery for a solitary splenic metastasis from gastric cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: spleen

He remained well without recurrence for 5 years after splenectomy for the solitary gastric-cancer metastasis.

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Mixed adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine gastric cancer found in the gastric remnant

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+

At 1-year follow-up, endoscopy and CT showed no local recurrence or lymph-node metastasis.

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Gastric Cancer Spreading to the Thumb

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: right thumb distal phalanx

She had advanced gastric cancer with pancreatic involvement and a painful thumb bone metastasis. Her treatment remained palliative because she was too frail for chemotherapy.

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Primary Gastric Melanoma Removed With Total Gastrectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

Biomarkers: Melan-A positive; HMB45 positive

PET-CT at 6 months showed no recurrence, and he remained asymptomatic at 1 year. He continued surveillance every 6 months.

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Treatment-Related Inflammation Mimicked Metastatic Colon Cancer Recurrence

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS mutation

Metastatic Site: liver|peritoneum

Biopsy showed that new lymph-node, liver, and spleen findings were a treatment-related sarcoid-like reaction rather than recurrence, and 18 months of surveillance found no evidence of cancer.

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Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma mistaken for a submucosal tumor

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s | Stage III

At 6 months after surgery, follow-up CT showed no metastatic disease. He had declined adjuvant chemotherapy.

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Gastric Cancer: Emily's Patient Story

Patient Info: Emily Aldrich, Under 40

Biomarkers: CDH1 mutation

After recovery, the patient returned to exercise, regained the 8 pounds lost after surgery and later became pregnant with a first child.

MD AndersonRead more →

Colon Cancer Metastasis Found Inside a Thyroid Nodule

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: KRAS mutated; thyroid metastasis CDX2 positive and CK20 positive; PAX8/TG/TTF-1 negative

Metastatic Site: lungs|thyroid

Follow-up was planned after thyroid surgery, with no adjuvant treatment for the coexisting low-risk thyroid lesion.

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Rectal Cancer Recurrence at a Colostomy Site

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: abdominal wall|peritoneum

She was alive 6 months after palliative radiotherapy for recurrent disease at the colostomy and abdominal wall.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Scott's Patient Story

Patient Info: Scott Sterling, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver

After nearly 2 years of treatment for Stage IV colorectal cancer, Scott was able to have his primary tumor removed in August 2020 and was recovering while the metastatic disease continued to be managed.

Dana-FarberRead more →