Client Story
How PHM helped Maggie chart a successful treatment plan.
Maggie, a vibrant 41-year-old mother of two young children, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer.
Maggie’s standard cancer molecular profiling tests were inconclusive. The tests that normally indicate whether the cancer is HER2-positive or hormone receptor-positive were both borderline. Oncologists rely on these results to determine which treatments to recommend, and ambiguous results made finding the right treatment path challenging.
Determined to find the best possible treatment path, Maggie’s family reached out to PHM based on the recommendation of another client.
Maggie’s PHM Personal Care Team compared the test result values with those in the most recent published literature and determined both borderline results were most likely negative.
PHM also recommended a more comprehensive molecular test specifically designed for breast cancer to determine tumor subtype, which showed Maggie had triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype.
Maggie’s tumor was borderline in size, and oncologists disagreed over whether to add a powerful drug called carboplatin to her chemotherapy regimen. The PHM team found research that adding of carboplatin was specifically beneficial for women under 50. Knowing she had been well-educated on the latest research gave Maggie the confidence to make her treatment choice. She began a regimen for triple negative breast cancer that included intense chemotherapy with carboplatin, along with immunotherapy.
When Maggie underwent a lumpectomy to remove any residual cancer, the tumor was gone. Molecular testing didn’t find any cancer DNA in her blood, another great sign. Maggie was confident in her decision to forgo a mastectomy, avoiding major surgery and recovery.
Maggie is doing well on a planned course of radiation. Her PHM Personal Care Team stays in regular communication and monitors her, while staying on top of potential treatment options, in case the cancer returns.
To learn more about breast cancer from PHM experts, watch our on-demand webinar about the latest, including risk factors, screening tools, and treatments. You can also download our information guide.
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