In mid-November 2006, Angela had her annual mammogram. The results showed that there was some calcification in her breast tissue, which can be a sign of cancer. After a second mammogram and a fine-needle biopsy, Angela was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 42 at the time.
“Before that initial mammogram, I had no reason to suspect that I had breast cancer,” Angela said. “I had none of the usual risk factors, and there’s no history of breast cancer in my family.”
Angela saw a surgeon right after she was diagnosed. Because Angela is small-breasted, her surgeon recommended a mastectomy, which offered more potential for reconstruction than a lumpectomy. She had the mastectomy about a week after meeting with the surgeon.
After a few weeks of recovery, Angela saw her oncologist. He recommended hormonal therapy (tamoxifen) and chemotherapy, but left the chemotherapy decision to her. Angela asked if there were any other treatment options, but found that there weren’t many for pre-menopausal women with pathology results like hers.
Her oncologist used Adjuvant! Online to gauge how likely Angela’s cancer was to return if she proceeded with both tamoxifen and chemotherapy. They determined that the combined therapy could decrease her likelihood of recurrence by 4%, and increase her chance of survival by 1%. Based on these results, it didn’t seem that she would derive much benefit from chemotherapy, but Angela didn’t think this information was definitive enough to make a decision.
She did a lot of research online in January 2007, focusing on the long-term effects of chemotherapy. She discovered that some potential side effects include memory loss and heart damage. She also read that the immune system can be weakened significantly during chemo.
Angela had a gut feeling that chemotherapy would be excessive in her case. Also, she had four young children, and chemotherapy would have diminished her ability to care for her family.
For added insight, one of Angela’s friends, an oncologist, suggested that Angela use the Oncotype DX® test, which the oncologist treating her had also mentioned. Her Recurrence Score® result was a 22, which put her at a 14% risk of recurrence. Although Angela was relieved that her result wasn’t higher, she had hoped for a lower score. Ultimately, she decided against taking chemotherapy.
“It was reassuring to know that the Recurrence Score result was based specifically on my tumor sample, unlike the Adjuvant! Online results, which are based on statistical outcomes from a large number of breast cancer patients,” she said.
In February 2007, Angela began tamoxifen therapy. She also enrolled in a clinical trial investigating the use of exemestane in pre-menopausal women. She was randomized to the control group of women taking tamoxifen by itself.
She hopes to help other women by taking part in the trial. “Some of my friends have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and they’re pre-menopausal, like me,” she said. Angela also has three daughters, so she is eager to support research that could benefit future generations.
Now 44, Angela is doing well. Always fit and active, she has taken part in two triathlons since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She also works for a promotional products distributor. And Genomic Health, the company that developed the Oncotype DX test, is one of her clients. “Whenever I visit the folks at Genomic Health, I tell them that I’ve really benefitted from the work they do,” she said.
Surviving breast cancer has given Angela a new outlook on life. “Cancer has helped me to not take things for granted,” she said. “I want to inspire people to do the things they always wanted to do, but never thought they would. You never know what tomorrow holds, so do it today.”