Stage III triple-negative breast cancer survivor: Pay attention to your body
I exercise regularly, eat pretty well and maintain a healthy body weight. With the possible exception of 2020 — that first awful year of the COVID-19 pandemic — I also get annual mammograms. I started doing that as soon as I was eligible at age 40, and I have gotten one exactly when I’m supposed to ever since.
So, I was in total shock when I was diagnosed with stage III triple-negative breast cancer in November 2023.
My triple-negative...
How digital twins are making cancer surgery safer
Surgical procedures are a common part of cancer diagnosis and treatment, from a biopsy to determine the stage and type of cancer to the removal...
Total neoadjuvant therapy: A new era for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer
When rectal cancer advances to involve nearby lymph nodes but hasn’t spread to other areas of the body, it’s considered to be locally advanced...
Pancreatic cancer survivor grateful for UT MD Anderson
I’ve tried being normal my whole life. It just wouldn’t stick. Even my cells want to be different. When I had a double mastectomy in 2013 to treat breast cancer in my left breast, the pathology report showed that some of the cells in my “healthy” breast were already dysplastic, or abnormal. The same goes for any mole I’ve ever had removed.
How to manage body image concerns after breast cancer surgery
Losing a breast due to cancer treatment can mean different things to different people. It all depends on where you are in your life and how...
What to expect after brain surgery: Patients and a neurosurgeon share insights
Are some side effects common to everyone after brain surgery? For instance, can you expect to experience some combination of memory lapses...
3 pieces of advice from a 5-time oral cancer survivor
The first time I was diagnosed with oral cancer, I was only 26. The wart-like growth on my tongue was pretty small. A biopsy showed it was...
5-time cancer survivor: Dual diagnoses led me to MD Anderson
The first time I had cancer, I was in my late 20s. What I thought was a persistent zit on my nose turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. I...
4-time rare sarcoma survivor finds new treatment options — and hope — at MD Anderson
By the end of 2022, Idaho resident Patty Hornby had already endured three major surgeries to remove a rare, recurrent soft tissue sarcoma...
Innovative robotic Whipple procedure helps cancer survivor beat the odds again
In February 2024, Mandy Gartrell was diagnosed with stage III pancreatic cancer. The teacher, wife and mother of two was already a cancer...