Mrs. Uma, 54yrs lady, came to MIOT in December 2013 with a lump in her left breast region. She was a tailor by profession and the most contributing member in the up-liftment of their family. Life had just started treating her fairly, with her daughter married happily and her son settled in a job. But it did not last long.

Diagnosis:

By the mid of November, she noticed a lump in her left breast region that was gradually increasing in size. A little worried, she went to a local hospital nearby. The Doctor advised for a mammogram test. The reports were suggestive of Breast cancer, so she was immediately referred to MIOT.

Treatment Plan at MIOT:

At MIOT, PET scan and Biopsy was taken, which confirmed locally advanced Breast cancer. Her molecular testing showed an aggressive type of cancer- Her2+ve. The treatment was planned to start with Chemotherapy followed by surgery. Jan 2014, chemotherapy was started. She had 4 cycles of chemotherapy. By March 2014, she was taken for surgery- Modified Radical Mastectomy.

HER2 (HUMAN EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR 2) is a gene that can play a role in the development of breast cancer. HER2-positive breast cancers tend to grow faster and are more likely to spread and come back. But there are medicines specifically for HER2-positive breast cancers.

RADICAL MASTECTOMY is a surgical procedure involving the removal of breast, underlying chest muscle and lymph nodes of the axilla as a treatment for breast cancer.

Secondary Infection:

Post surgery her recovery was gradual. But in a month’s times, she came again complaining of pain and pus discharge from the surgery site. On examination, she had developed secondary infection in that region. She was taken up for a surgery immediately, where the complete area was cleaned off injection. A layer of skin from her back region was grafted to the surgery site to obtain complete closure. She then underwent, 4 cycles of chemotherapy followed by IMRT for 1 month and targeted therapy for 1 year henceforth.

INTENSITY-MODULATED RADIATION THERAPY (IMRT) is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumour or specific areas within the tumour. The TARGETED THERAPY is only for HER2+ve patients to generally act on destroying only the HER2 genes.

Recovery:

A PET scan was taken by July 2015 after completion of her treatment which showed no remnants of cancer. After 3 months, she started her work again. For the past two and half years she is on regular follow up. Her latest PET scan taken in November 2017 shows her disease free. She is all healthy and back to her normal life. Now she helps other breast cancer patients in the form of counselling and moral support.

Leave a reply