When a breast cancer oncologist becomes a breast cancer patient

Mammogram reveals a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) diagnosis

During a routine mammogram in September, Litton’s care team spotted a 3 cm calcification on her upper left breast, close to her under arm. This experience was nothing new for Litton. She had been undergoing annual mammograms at MD Anderson ever since she turned 40. Her doctors often brought her back for a closer look or to have a biopsy. But this was different. Additional testing showed the spot was a clump of cancer cells known as a high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the earliest possible form of ductal breast cancer, sometimes referred to as stage 0 breast cancer.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Litton says. “When you consider that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer, it feels more like ‘why not me’ than ‘why me.’”

Undergoing a lumpectomy

Litton knew she would need surgery to remove the calcification, followed by radiation treatment and endocrine therapy to decrease her chances of having another breast cancer.

Initially, Litton was drawn to the idea of a double mastectomy, surgery to remove both breasts. It felt like the best way to ensure the cancer wouldn’t come back.

“But then I thought, wait a second, I can do a lot less, and the research and data really do support that,” she says. She talked it over with her surgeon Kelly Hunt, M.D., breast surgeon and Breast Surgical Oncology chair. Hunt told her that a lumpectomy, also known as a segmental mastectomy, would be sufficient and an easier recovery process.

During this outpatient procedure, which Litton had in November, Hunt removed the cancerous cells and those surrounding them. Because of the location of the mass, Hunt was able to make a small incision under Litton’s arm, and plastic surgeon Carrie Chu, M.D., performed what’s called an oncoplastic closure and tissue rearrangement.

“The incision is small and under my arm. It is hardly noticeable,” Litton says.

The surgery marked the first time Litton had been under anesthesia. She says she underestimated how much fatigue she had after anesthesia for the first several days, but little by little, she started to feel better.

Undergoing radiation therapy

With the surgery behind her, Litton was now ready for the next phase of breast cancer treatment, radiation therapy. She and her radiation oncologist Melissa Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., reviewed the latest clinical trial results and determined that a course of partial breast radiation treatment would be best.

Before beginning radiation therapy, Litton spoke with several patient advocates and listened to their advice about what to expect. “You’re in our sisterhood now,” they told her.

The planning session and the first of radiation took the longest. The most difficult part was holding still for the duration of the planning. This is necessary to ensure the precision of the treatment and to avoid important structures like the heart.

“But our radiation folks do everything to make you as comfortable as possible,” Litton says. She loved that she got to select the music they played. She alternated between Taylor Swift and The Beatles.

All throughout her radiation treatments, Litton was able to continue her work in both the clinic and the administrative office. Her only side effect was some slight fatigue and the expected post-surgery soreness, she says.

Ringing the bell to mark the end of radiation therapy

Throughout her treatment, Litton had stayed relatively quiet about her diagnosis, only sharing it with those she really needed to tell.

“I didn’t want to be a burden, nor did I want the additional burden of having to console others after sharing the news,” says Litton.

Like many other women her age, Litton is a caregiver to her aging parents. Her three children are young adults who at times still need their mom. Her work schedule is busy. The mammogram that led to her cancer diagnosis was the result of an effort to take time to focus on her own health and wellness.

But as she wrapped up radiation, Litton began telling more people. When she arrived on Friday morning, ready to ring the bell signifying the end of her treatment, she was surrounded by tons of colleagues, patient advocates, her children and her husband, Todd, who had been by her side at many of her appointments. She stepped forward and read the inscription.

"Ring this bell, three times well, its toll to clearly say, my treatment's done, this course is run, and I am on my way!"

She felt the tears begin to well.

“I don’t consider myself an emotional person, but I got really choked up,” she says. “I thought of all the patient advocates who were there and my own patients who had all read the same thing I just read and had rung the bell I was about to ring. The outpouring of love was just amazing.”

Gratitude for cancer research and MD Anderson colleagues

To help keep new cancer cells from forming, Litton will now take a daily pill, tamoxifen, every day for five years.

At every turn in her treatment, Litton and her care team were able to opt for less aggressive treatment with smaller impacts from side effects based on the latest research.

“I’m the true beneficiary of not only early detection and screening, but also clinical research,” she says.

While the experience gave her greater empathy for her patients, it also renewed her sense of gratitude for her colleagues.

“I feel like I got the best care in the entire world,” she says. “It made me re-appreciate this very special place we’re in.”

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.