Shining a Spotlight on Better Treatment Options for Metastatic ER-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

1 year ago

Twin Sisters Undergo Breast Cancer Together

Aleta and Alicia Sayas are identical twins. They’ve always done everything together – but going through breast cancer at the same time is something neither of them ever expected. And now that they’re finished with treatment, the twins are ready to advocate on behalf of others with breast cancer.

In 2022, two months after passing a physical and clinical breast exam by her family doctor, Aleta felt a lump in her breast. Aleta reached out to her doctor, who ordered a series of tests. She was diagnosed with triple negative and invasive ductal carcinoma. “Learning I had breast cancer was devastating,” Aleta said. During her first appointment with a breast surgeon, Alicia went along for moral support.

“I asked the surgeon, since we’re twins, what does Aleta’s diagnosis mean, since we share the same genetic material,” Alicia explained, adding that she had recently had a 3D mammogram with normal results. “He said since we were identical twins, I needed to get an MRI.”

Alicia’s MRI revealed a spot, and she was sent for a biopsy. Just four weeks after Aleta’s diagnosis, Alicia learned she also had triple negative breast cancer like her sister. “It was a double whammy,” said Aleta. “It’s like I didn’t have time to process my own diagnosis. It was so unexpected. I was emotional. I was angry. I felt like Alicia’s mammogram and the medical community had failed her.”

Alicia was also overwhelmed. “I remember speaking with the oncologist and she mentioned a lot about possible side effects,” Alicia said. “One of them was death. I was in disbelief. It was a frightening experience.”

While there is not a history of breast cancer in the twins’ family, they did undergo genetic testing. Neither tested positive for a BRCA inherited gene mutation. Aleta’s treatment included chemotherapy and surgery and she’s currently on an anti-estrogen medication. Alicia had immunotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Aleta and Alicia have always been advocates for their health, but this experience propelled them to want to do more. They recently attended Komen’s Advocacy Summit, which has inspired them to advocate on behalf of people with breast cancer. “Breast cancer affects everyone. It doesn’t discriminate,” Alicia said. “And cancer is not free. Between wait times, the lack of affordable healthcare and insurance denials, people are dying.”

“The summit really instilled hope in me, listening to survivors and learning how important it is to continue this fight,” said Aleta. “It’s not going to take one person to fight breast cancer. It has to take everybody in order to find a cure.”

“We wanted to make sure our voices were going to be heard as it relates to the policymakers, the people who regulate, the government regulators,” Alicia added. “There are disparities in breast cancer health.” The sisters do breast cancer awareness at local homeless shelters as a way to get important breast health information to those who may have the least access to it.

“Now that we’ve gone through breast cancer ourselves, we feel like we are in a better position to raise our voices and be part of the solution,” Alicia said.

Learn more about Komen’s advocacy work.

1 year ago

Komen Ambassador Andy Grammer’s Breast Cancer Connection

Andy Grammer is a multi-platinum recording artist, husband and father to two young girls – and an advocate for breast cancer, a cause close to his heart.

In 2009, when Andy was just 25, he lost his mother Kathy to breast cancer. “Her cancer was diagnosed late, and it happened really quickly. It was a very hard time.”

Losing his mother has influenced the way Andy lives his life and how he approaches his music. Growing up, Kathy was a driving force in Andy’s life and his biggest champion. “She was an incredible mother,” he said. “She was a community builder and a champion of other women.

Prior to his Kathy’s death, Andy had not experienced a lot of tragedy in his life, but found her passing helped ground his art in a way that was important for him. “When you lose someone, you have to get to a place where you learn from it. I had no understanding that people were going through this level of difficulty,” he said. “It became very important for me as someone who sings songs about lifting people to have empathy for what I’m singing about.”

As a way to honor his mother and give back to the breast cancer community, Andy has partnered with Komen “I miss my mom every day, but I’m grateful for what I got from that situation,” Andy said. “It’s helped me see that people are going through pain all the time in all different aspects of life, and there can be a lot of beauty that comes from that.”

Learn more about the ways Andy is giving back and raising awareness for breast cancer. Listen to Andy share his story here.

1 year ago

4 Reasons Why Your Breast Cancer Experience Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

If you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer, you’re not alone. Since 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, each diagnosis is as unique as the person receiving it; breast cancer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your breast cancer experience will not be the same as your aunt’s, friend’s or friend-of-a-friend.

Because of incredible advances in our understanding of breast cancer over the past several decades, treatment for breast cancer is more personalized than ever before. As a 30-year breast cancer survivor, Komen Scientific Advisory Board Member Dr. Sandra Finestone has witnessed these advances first-hand. While treatments have improved, she explains that a breast cancer diagnosis is just as overwhelming now as it was 30 years ago.

“I tell patients when I meet with them, the good news is you have options. The bad news is you have options because you as a patient are expected to make those decisions. But you take someone who’s not been in this arena before and drop them in and the amount of information that’s available is as overwhelming as the diagnosis, and they feel this urgency to make a decision as well,” says Finestone.

As a patient advocate for more than 25 years, Dr. Finestone is a firm believer that patients need access to information about their diagnosis that they can easily understand.

According to Finestone, “I just feel very, very strongly that patients need the information they need, not all of the information, but they need the information that’s particular to their diagnosis.”

Komen is aiming to meet this need through our Know More series. We’ll explain the basic concepts of breast cancer so that you’ll feel confident to dig deeper into our other breast cancer information and be empowered to discuss your concerns with your doctor. Breast cancer is not one disease, but a family of diseases. Below you’ll find the top 4 factors that make your breast cancer as unique as you are.

Biomarkers. Biomarkers are molecules that can be measured in your body – and they can tell your oncologist a lot about your breast cancer. Researchers have discovered three key biomarkers that ultimately determine the types of treatment you’ll receive. The three main breast cancers that are defined by these biomarkers are: hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple negative. Everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will fall into one or more of these categories, and your doctor can tell you what biomarkers your cancer contains.

Mutations. Mutations are a type of biomarker, and there are some key mutations your doctor may look for to further customize your treatment plan. Some mutations can be inherited from your mother or father, but most happen spontaneously. In addition, some mutations may also be found in the tumor itself. Genetic testing can be used to identify which treatments might be right for you.

Biology. Doctors are getting better and better at predicting the behavior of your tumor. In addition to looking at individual biomarkers, doctors sometimes use tumor profiling tests to look at how your tumor cell’s genes work together to make them grow, divide and spread. This can give your doctor important information about your risk of recurrence or how likely you are to respond to certain treatments.

If you’re facing a breast cancer diagnosis and not sure where to begin, you’ve come to the right place. Our Know More series will continue to help educate you and arm you with the tools you’ll need to feel empowered to advocate for yourself through your experience.

Hormone receptor status

HER2 status

Triple negative breast cancer

Contents of a pathology report

Hear More:

Watch Breast Cancer Breakthroughs to learn about the latest breast cancer advancements for patients.

Read and listen to our Spotlight on Clinical Trials Series.

More Actions You Can Take:

Questions to ask your doctor if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer

Visit Komen’s Patient Care Center for support.

Join ShareForCures. ShareForCures is Komen’s Breast Cancer Research Registry that will be answering some of the most pressing questions in breast cancer. Anyone over age 18 in the United States is eligible to participate.