Targeted Therapy: 297 Real Stories
297 stories match targeted therapy. 183 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage III Breast Cancer: Beth’s Survivor Story
Beth, 41, followed her intuition after persistent breast pain continued beyond her menstrual cycle. She scheduled a mammogram, and by that evening she learned she had Stage III breast cancer. She had no other symptoms, so acting on that pain became a key part…
Read this storyStage I HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Betty’s Survivor Story
Betty, 59, sought medical attention after noticing white spots around her nipple. Testing showed Stage I breast cancer. The diagnosis was frightening and made her worry about dying too young, especially because cancer had affected other members of her family…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Erika’s Patient Story
Erika, 47, scheduled a mammogram because both her mother and grandmother had breast cancer. Doctors found a mass in her right breast, and she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. The discovery made her angry, and the diagnosis left her numb and…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Faith’s Survivor Story
Faith, 37, was pregnant in mid-2021 when she told her obstetrician about lumps in her breasts. There was no unusual discharge or pain, but ultrasound and biopsy confirmed Stage II ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. The diagnosis brought fear, sadness…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Amanda’s Patient Story
Amanda was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in April 2021. Her family history included an uncle, aunt and grandfather with colon cancer. The diagnosis of colon adenocarcinoma came as a shock, especially because she had a young son and…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Hwee’s Patient Story
Hwee Lin, 66, sought help after a sharp pain in her breast persisted and did not go away. Her general practitioner referred her to a local hospital for further evaluation, where she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. The diagnosis filled her with fear…
Read this storyStage II Gastric Cancer: Andy’s Patient Story
Andy had a family history of stomach cancer in a grandfather and uncle. A family doctor recommended genetic testing and an endoscopy, and the evaluation led to a diagnosis of Stage II gastric cancer. The diagnosis brought sadness, grief, and a sense of…
Read this storyStage II HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Kelsey’s Survivor Story
Kelsey was 45 when she noticed a lump in her left breast. Her family doctor referred her to the hospital for a mammogram, and she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2021. Her record included HER2-positive disease, and trastuzumab was named because…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Saila’s Patient Story
Saila Hanninen was 35 in 2016 and had recently completed her ninth marathon and first full Ironman when her health began to change. Slower training times, lower-back pain, a persistent cough, and increasing shortness of breath eventually led to testing. In…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Pam’s Patient Story
Pam Benchley was 53, a triathlete, cyclist and fitness trainer, when she noticed inflamed skin on her left breast. A recent mammogram had not shown cancer, so she first thought the irritation came from a sports bra. A local doctor biopsied the area and found…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Scott’s Patient Story
Scott Sterling was 51 in 2018 when a sudden sharp pain in his lower right abdomen led him to the emergency room. After several tests, a pelvic scan found Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver. He learned that the disease was not considered…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Christine’s Survivor Story
Christine Hodgdon was 34, active, and training for a triathlon when she was diagnosed with aggressive metastatic breast cancer. The cancer was HER2-positive. She had no family history of breast cancer and described the diagnosis as a complete shock. Her…
Read this storyStage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Tomma’s Patient Story
Tomma Hargraves discovered a small lump on the left side of her neck in 2006. A biopsy showed non-small cell lung cancer, and scans found a tumor in her right lung with extensive lymph node involvement. Her initial diagnosis was Stage III lung cancer. Tomma…
Read this storyStage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Tomma’s Patient Story
Tomma Hargraves noticed a small bump on the left side of her neck in October 2006. A biopsy led to a diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, and scans showed a tumor in the upper right lung with extensive lymph-node involvement. She was diagnosed with Stage…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Kirby’s Patient Story
Kirby Lewis first felt a breast lump after months of coughing and was initially told that men do not get breast cancer. After transferring his care to a VA hospital, an open biopsy confirmed ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. He was…
Read this storyStage IV BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Lisa’s Patient Story
Lisa Quinn was 36 when she found a hard knot in her right breast after experiencing stabbing pain. Mammography, ultrasound, and biopsy confirmed breast cancer involving lymph nodes. MRI and PET imaging showed 7 tumors in the right breast and cancer in 5 bone…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Dan’s Patient Story
Dan DiNardo was 49 when he was diagnosed with advanced male breast cancer in 2015. He had first noticed a breast lump, but after a mammogram he was told to return if it changed. For nearly a year, the lump grew. Bleeding and skin changes finally pushed him to…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Cherie’s Survivor Story
Cherie was 64 when her family doctor advised her to have a mammogram because of her age. She had also been experiencing breast pain. Testing led to a stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis. The treatment decisions made her feel motivated, although she remained…
Read this storyStage IV RET Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Sara’s Patient Story
Sara Whitlock was 47 when she was diagnosed in 2010 with Stage IV lung cancer and told her chance of surviving 5 years was about 3%. She feared she would not see her daughters grow up. Her lung cancer was non-small cell lung cancer caused by a RET fusion, a…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: James’s Patient Story
James “Rocky” Lagno developed a persistent dry cough around Thanksgiving 2010. As his breathing worsened and he began coughing up blood, lung cancer became a concern. He was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and went to Boston for intravenous…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Janet’s Survivor Story
Janet Klein expected breast cancer might eventually affect her because both her mother and sister had been diagnosed. Careful mammogram surveillance helped catch her first breast cancer at Stage 1, before it had spread. There was no lymph-node involvement…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Ginger’s Patient Story
Ginger Tam sought care for a persistent cough and learned that she had Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis was devastating for the single mother, whose daughter was 8 at the time. She sought a second opinion at a research hospital and became…
Read this storyStage III BRCA1 Ovarian Cancer: Patty’s Patient Story
Patty Klein was in her late 40s when severe pain in her side led to imaging and a diagnosis of Stage III ovarian cancer. The pain came from fluid building up in her abdomen. After diagnosis, she learned that she carried a BRCA1 mutation, which was also found…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Kate’s Survivor Story
Kate Watson was 35, with 2 young daughters, when she learned she had Stage IV HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The cancer had already spread beyond the breast to lymph nodes in her chest and to spots in her spine, pelvis and one femur. The diagnosis…
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