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My name is Shana and I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer 2.5 years ago at the age of 34. After surgery, aggressive chemo regiment, and radiation, my doctors and I were optmistic that I beat it once and for all. Breast cancer is considered one of the most treatable cancers and most people have good prognosis, if detected early.
However, the subtype of breast cancer I was diagnosed with, ER/PR/Her2- ("triple negative") lacks the 3 known receptors that most treatment options are effective for. There is still no targeted therapy for the triple negative breast cancer. This aggressive type of cancer puts me at an increased risk for recurrences and there is no medication for me to take to do anything about it.
In February of this year, I learned the devastating news that my breast cancer has spread to my bones. We treated the bone damage in my hip with local radiation and my latest scans came back with no signs of new tumors. But we now know that there are cancer cells that chemo did not kill that are in my body. Which automatically makes me stage IV. For me, the worst part of the news was explaining it to my 11 year old son and incorporating coloring books about doctors appointments and not feeling well with my 3 year old daughter. I wish noone ever has to go through that.
It is frustrating to know that in this day and age, there is still no targeted treatment for the triple negative breast cancer. I have no pill to take or therapy to follow that is proven to even have a small chance of being effective. I am not a fan of pills but its a scary thought having advanced cancer and not being on any medication.
But there is a Phase I clinical trial for medication that has shown promise to shrink triple negative tumors in a lab setting and now it is being tested in humans. (This is a real life example how my company's customers are touching lives!) Its a single-location trial in New York city and I have been accepted, provided I can meet the requirements to be there for the treatment and associated appointments. Starting in a few weeks, I will need to travel once a week for 6 weeks to New York (and less frequently after that for follow ups). It's happening very fast and there's not much time to plan ahead, which makes it especially challenging...
However, the subtype of breast cancer I was diagnosed with, ER/PR/Her2- ("triple negative") lacks the 3 known receptors that most treatment options are effective for. There is still no targeted therapy for the triple negative breast cancer. This aggressive type of cancer puts me at an increased risk for recurrences and there is no medication for me to take to do anything about it.
In February of this year, I learned the devastating news that my breast cancer has spread to my bones. We treated the bone damage in my hip with local radiation and my latest scans came back with no signs of new tumors. But we now know that there are cancer cells that chemo did not kill that are in my body. Which automatically makes me stage IV. For me, the worst part of the news was explaining it to my 11 year old son and incorporating coloring books about doctors appointments and not feeling well with my 3 year old daughter. I wish noone ever has to go through that.
It is frustrating to know that in this day and age, there is still no targeted treatment for the triple negative breast cancer. I have no pill to take or therapy to follow that is proven to even have a small chance of being effective. I am not a fan of pills but its a scary thought having advanced cancer and not being on any medication.
But there is a Phase I clinical trial for medication that has shown promise to shrink triple negative tumors in a lab setting and now it is being tested in humans. (This is a real life example how my company's customers are touching lives!) Its a single-location trial in New York city and I have been accepted, provided I can meet the requirements to be there for the treatment and associated appointments. Starting in a few weeks, I will need to travel once a week for 6 weeks to New York (and less frequently after that for follow ups). It's happening very fast and there's not much time to plan ahead, which makes it especially challenging...