BFF News... Yale Cancer Center and BFF have organized a conference for metastatic breast cancer patients and their caregivers

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Sandy's Story Updated July 2024

Sandy was initially diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 37, on May 30, 2013. She chose to have a bilateral mastectomy followed by 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 28 rounds of radiation. 

Soon after the end of radiation treatment, Sandy was declared cancer-free. 

Unfortunately, in April 2015, Sandy was no longer a breast cancer survivor.  Sandy was told that the breast cancer had spread to her liver and she was now living with Stage 4  Metastatic Breast Cancer with no cure.

After being on FDA-approved treatment for 3 years in July 2018 Sandy was told her cancer is growing and she needed to find a new treatment.  Sandy enrolled in a clinical trial that did not work in battling her cancer.  Sandy received another FDA-approved treatment beginning in October 2018. 

• In January 2020, after a scan, Sandy again discovered her meds were not working.  Sandy tried a newly FDA-approved drug.
• In September 2020 Sandy's new meds stopped working.  She was on an immunotherapy clinical trial which uses funds raised by charities like BFF, but it did not work for her. 
• November 2020 Sandy started IV Chemotherapy-which worked until April 2021
• Since April 2021, Sandy has tried 2 Oral FDA Approved treatments; neither worked for her.
• January 2022- Sandy transferred her care to Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, and began IV Chemotherapy which failed in March of 2022.
• Sandy began newly FDA-approved Enhertu Chemotherapy in March 2022 which was not working by June of 2022.
• In July 2022 Sandy began Phase 1 Clinical Trial at Yale Cancer Center which was effective until December 2022.
• In January 2023 Sandy began her 12th treatment, Trodelvy chemotherapy, but unfortunately, this treatments stopped working May 2023.
•  In June 2023 Sandy began her 13th treatment newly FDA approved Elacestrant which proved to be ineffective.
• In September 2023 Sandy began her 14th treatment which is a combination of Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy.
• Late November 2023, Sandy's options were limited at this point in time.  All treatments have failed, tumor markers and liver functions were very bad.  Her medical team decided to give Xeloda another try as a last resort.
• Xeloda miraculously worked through May 2024 decreasing tumor markers and improving liver functions.
• May 2024, Sandy began her 16th line of treatment with newly FDA approve Capiversib in conjunction with Fulvestrant.  This combination has dramatically decreased tumor markers and liver enzyme counts.

Please keep our family in your prayers.
We will continue to update .... 

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.

• Metastatic Breast Cancer affects over 30% of these diagnosed women.
  
• Metastatic breast cancer accounts for approximately 42,000 death in the United States annually.
  
• Currently, only 7% of all Breast Cancer Research funding is allocated to Metastatic Breast Cancer Research.
  
• 116 women die daily from Metastatic breast cancer.
  
• The average life expectancy for those with Metastatic Breast Cancer is 3 years.
  
• Currently there is NO Cure for Metastatic Breast Cancer.
  

When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, such as the bones, brain, liver, or Lungs, it is called metastatic (also referred to as advanced or stage IV).

Although it is not curable, metastatic breast cancer can be treatable. Today, with new therapies, including biologic targeted treatments and novel drug combinations, women with metastatic breast cancer can live well for many years.

 *Source:  Metastatic Breast Cancer Network