Where you go first for breast cancer treatment matters. The specialized experts at UT MD Anderson provide innovative, personalized and compassionate care from the start.
A Full Spectrum of Care
Triple-negative breast cancer survivor: Why I chose a clinical trial at MD Anderson
Cancer runs very strongly on one side of my family. Several members have had either breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Two tested positive for the BRCA1 genetic mutation. So, I knew the odds were pretty high that I carried it, too.
After finding out about the mutation, I put off getting genetic testing for about two years. I didn’t want to know yet.
But I became the first person of my generation in my family to take the plunge. The testing confirmed my fears: I had the BRCA1 mutation. That substantially increased my risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancers. I started getting high-risk breast cancer screenings every six months.
So, I was shocked when I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age 34.
My triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis
I’d been told that I had until I was about 40 to start making decisions about whether to have my breasts or ovaries removed to reduce my risk. I was glad, because I wanted to wait until I was finished having children to do so.
But when I had my last check-up about two months after I weaned my son, the scan showed a peanut-sized lump in my right breast. Additional testing revealed it was stage II triple-negative breast cancer.
Why I chose MD Anderson
My relatives didn’t get sick until they were in their 50s. And I’d done everything I was supposed to do, including being proactive on screening. But I still got cancer. I was pretty surprised and frightened. Breast cancer sucks, period. But triple-negative breast cancer makes it feel extra scary, because it’s even harder to treat and has higher rates of recurrence.
I knew from relatives that where you go first for cancer treatment is pretty important. But what clinched my decision to go to MD Anderson was the online research my husband conducted. He quickly discovered that chemotherapy only has about a 50% chance of working against triple-negative breast cancer. We wanted better odds than that.
My triple-negative breast cancer treatment
My husband found a clinical trial at MD Anderson run by breast medical oncologist Dr. Jennifer Litton. He reached out to her for more information. Dr. Litton was not able to take me on as a patient, but she referred me to a colleague who was almost entirely focused on triple-negative breast cancer.
I joined a clinical trial under that doctor and received a PARP inhibitor for six months as a part of her study. For a while, the PARP inhibitor kicked my cancer’s butt. Unfortunately, it also caused me a lot of blood issues, so the doctors had to reduce my dosage.
I didn’t have a complete response to the PARP inhibitor. So, after the clinical trial, I had a double mastectomy, an oophorectomy and a chemotherapy combination called ACT. That acronym stands for doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide, followed by paclitaxel (Taxol).
It’s been almost five years now since I finished breast cancer treatment. Assuming I don’t have a recurrence, I will officially show no evidence of disease by summer 2025.
My life today
The clinical trial I joined didn’t work out quite as well for me as I’d hoped. But I made a lot of friends on it. And some of them had a perfect response to it, with no blood issues. I was really happy for them.
I have an 8-month-old baby now, and my son is 7. So, I’m finding ways to cultivate more balance in my life and focusing on the things that matter most: family, friends and community. I’ve learned that waking up every day is not guaranteed. So, I live my life full of gratitude. I am grateful to all the nurses, doctors, surgeons, and staff at MD Anderson who supported me — and do so every day, for thousands of other patients.
Dr. Litton told me that MD Anderson is working on new PARP inhibitors that may cause fewer side effects. That made me feel really good, too. Clearly, I wasn’t the only person who struggled with the one I was on. But if what I went through was helpful for somebody else, then I’m glad I did it.
Right now, my only lingering issues are osteoporosis and dry mouth. Those are no big deal, though, considering I’m still here. I’m just happy to be alive.
If the cancer ever comes back, the new medication Dr. Litton mentioned could be an option for me. It might not save my life, but it could prolong it. And that would be OK.
Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.
Inflammatory breast cancer survivor names son after MD Anderson
When 27-year-old Savannah Curry from Missouri found a lump in her breast, cancer was the last thing on her mind. She had no family history of breast cancer and thought she was too young to be worried about cancer.
Soon after discovering the lump, Savannah learned she was pregnant with her second child. At an appointment with her OB/GYN, she mentioned the lump and was told to schedule a mammogram. The local clinic couldn’t get her in right away, but within a few weeks Savannah noticed redness, skin changes and pain in her breast. Her doctor urged her to get it checked as soon as possible.
Choosing expert care for inflammatory breast cancer at MD Anderson
Savannah quickly had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, which showed she had inflammatory breast cancer. This is a rare and fast-growing type of breast cancer that needs special treatment.
As soon as Savannah learned she had inflammatory breast cancer, she knew she needed specialized care. She chose MD Anderson’s Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic, one of the few in the country.
“Even though I lived in Missouri, I was willing to go wherever I needed to get the best care,” she says.
Just days after requesting an appointment, she traveled to Houston. She immediately felt a sense of calm when she met her care team. “I felt this weird sense of peace,” she says. “I knew they were going to heal me, and I was going to be OK.” Her family decided to relocate to Houston to stay close during her treatment.
Treating inflammatory breast cancer while pregnant
At 16 weeks pregnant, Savannah began treatment with a plan carefully coordinated by her medical oncologist Azadeh Nasrazadani, M.D., Ph.D., and a high-risk obstetrician, who worked together to create a safe treatment plan. She completed 12 weeks of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy, followed by three weeks of paclitaxel. After a three-week break to regain her strength, she delivered a healthy baby boy in December 2023, then completed an additional nine weeks of chemotherapy.
Honoring MD Anderson through her son’s name
Savannah and her husband hadn’t chosen a name when she learned she would need to deliver in Houston. But as her treatment continued, she began to feel that the baby she carried was part of her healing.
“I truly believe my son saved my life,” she says. “I probably had the cancer before I got pregnant, but if it weren’t for him, I might not have found it so early.”
As her MD Anderson care team helped her safely through her cancer treatment, Savannah knew exactly what she wanted to name her son.
“MD Anderson gave me hope, strength and life,” she says. “Naming my son Anderson felt like the perfect way to honor that.”
Persevering through inflammatory breast cancer treatment and recovery
Savannah had a single mastectomy surgery performed by breast surgeon Susie Sun, M.D., and plastic surgeon Paul Shay, M.D., followed by radiation therapy under the guidance of radiation oncologist Michael Stauder, M.D. While her chemotherapy went more smoothly than she expected, radiation therapy proved to be the hardest part of Savannah’s treatment.
She received radiation therapy twice a day for four weeks. Between appointments and caring for a newborn and toddler, she often felt exhausted. “It was rough,” she says. “But I knew I had to keep going for my boys.”
Despite the challenges, Savannah found strength in her care team at MD Anderson. She credits her doctors, nurses and support staff for guiding her through each step of treatment, and her Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) counselor, Diana Guzman, for offering steady support when she needed it most.
“Diana was amazing,” Savannah says. “She helped me navigate everything and made such a difference during one of the hardest times in my life.”
Finding peace and gratitude after breast cancer treatment
Savannah completed radiation in June 2024 and returned home to Missouri, visiting MD Anderson for follow-ups every few months. “Some people get anxious about scans, but I feel the opposite because I know I am in good hands,” she says.
She credits her recovery to her care team and family support. “I finally feel like myself, and I’m so thankful for MD Anderson. They healed me and gave me my life back.”
For Savannah, her son Anderson is a daily reminder of hope, healing and the care that made it all possible.
Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.
Metastatic breast cancer survivor: ‘UT MD Anderson saved my life’
Gladys Gakuu was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer in 2012. She was 29. She had a mastectomy with breast reconstruction surgery, followed by chemotherapy and five years of hormone therapy.
Things were fine for several years until she began having chest pain on her right side. She saw a local doctor in Kansas City, but imaging didn’t show anything concerning. So, she chalked it up to working too hard and took pain medicine as needed.
A few months later, her oncologist referred her to a plastic surgeon to check on the implant used during her breast reconstruction.
That’s when they discovered that the breast cancer had come back.
Choosing UT MD Anderson after breast cancer recurrence
The cancer had returned and spread to Gladys’ neck, parts of her chest wall and several lymph nodes. Because of the extent of the spread, it was considered stage 4. Surgery was not an option.
Her oncologist recommended she take the oral targeted therapy palbociclib. It works by blocking specific proteins that help cancer cells grow. She also took hormone therapy to lower the estrogen in her body.
“After a couple months of taking these medications, I thought I should get a second opinion,” recalls Gladys, who was 37 at the time. “I reached out to doctors at a couple of well-known institutions before my friend in Houston suggested I try UT MD Anderson.”
Gladys had thought it would be difficult to get an appointment here. She was pleasantly surprised at how easy the process was.
“I just called to ask for an appointment,” she says. “I didn’t have to contact previous hospitals to get all my medical records. I just gave the patient access representative the hospitals’ names, and they took care of everything.”
Gladys had her first appointment at UT MD Anderson on Aug. 28, 2020. She met breast medical oncologist Sadia Saleem, M.D.
Saleem was able to feel a lump. Because the cancer had spread to the opposite side of Gladys’ body, she recommended they start with chemotherapy.
“I remember Dr. Saleem saying, ‘We will try our best, but we may not be able to cure the disease,’” says Gladys. “I’m a woman of faith, so I leaned into my faith and trusted my care team. I knew UT MD Anderson was where I needed to be.”
An aggressive treatment plan for metastatic breast cancer
The plan was for Gladys to start with three rounds of the chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and docetaxel. Then she’d have scans to see how well the chemo worked before starting radiation therapy. The targeted therapy she was taking was causing low white blood cell counts, so Saleem switched her to another medication called abemaciclib.
Gladys had since moved to Florida, so she flew back and forth to Houston for her chemo treatments. She took anti-nausea medicine that helped during treatment.
“After completing three rounds of chemo, the technologist doing my ultrasound kept looking at my previous scans. She told me she couldn’t see any cancer,” says Gladys. “She said she had never seen anything like it.”
The technologist called Saleem into the room. She was also amazed.
“Dr. Saleem said that I’d had probably more than 50 metastases before starting chemo, and now they were gone,” says Gladys. “I responded so well to treatment that she wanted me to do one more round of chemo, just to be sure. Then I’d start radiation.”
When Gladys met breast radiation oncologist Benjamin Smith, M.D., he told her that she had one of the most complex breast cancer recurrence cases he’d ever seen.
“Given how much it had spread, Dr. Smith said it could’ve been too late if we’d caught it a few months later,” she says. “UT MD Anderson saved my life.”
Because the cancer had responded so well to previous treatments, Smith believed an aggressive radiation therapy regimen could potentially cure Gladys of breast cancer. It would target any remaining microscopic cancer cells.
She underwent seven weeks of radiation therapy, including six treatments with proton therapy.
She stayed with friends in Houston while getting radiation treatment. “They took me to and from my appointments and cooked meals for me,” Gladys recalls. “I’m very thankful for them.”
She completed radiation therapy in June 2021. Her first scans after that showed no evidence of disease.
Houston Locations
We offer comprehensive breast care at all of our locations. Select your preferred location for more details.
