Lucy’s Grade 3 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Story

Lucy was diagnosed with breast cancer only 3 days after her 24th birthday.

Following Lucy’s mother’s second breast cancer diagnosis, both Lucy and her mom found out they had the BRCA1 mutation.

Lucy developed a lump in her breast the same year she found out she carried the BRCA1 gene. Although her doctors thought it was likely only fibrous tissue, Lucy advocated to keep pushing for tests. A biopsy revealed the lump was grade 3 triple-negative breast cancer.

Lucy then underwent fertility preservation, a clinical trial, chemotherapy, and a double mastectomy. Lucy shares processing the diagnosis, navigating hair loss and side effects, and finding support through her journey.

• Name: Lucy E.
• Diagnosis (DX):
  • Breast cancer
  • Grade 3
  • Triple negative
  • Stage 2/3
• Age at DX: 24
• Tests for DX:
  • Ultrasound
  • Biopsy
• 1st Symptoms:
  • Lump in breast
• Treatment:
  • Egg retrieval
  • Chemotherapy
    • Regimen 1
      • 4 cycles
      • Carboplatin every 3 weeks
      • Paclitaxel weekly
      • Olaparib, a daily pill
    • Regimen 2
      • 3 cycles
      • Epirubicin every 3 weeks
      • Cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks
  • Double mastectomy

This interview has been edited for clarity. This is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider for treatment decisions.

Pre-Diagnosis

Introduction to Lucy

In October I turned 25. I came to the University of Worcester to do English literature as my undergraduate degree. I fell in love with the place, so I stayed in Worcester, and I carried on to do my English master’s. I carried on to do that, and I actually graduated the month after I was diagnosed. 

Obviously reading is a big part. That’s why I love the place and Worcester itself and the surrounding areas. There’s just so much history for literature involved. It’s a great place for me to have done my degree. 

Before my diagnosis, I was a really big gymgoer. I’d recently started getting into the gym and going a few times a week. [I was] getting into running, which I used to hate, but I found I really loved it. That all changed with my diagnosis as well. 

I largely loved going out exploring, going for walks, [and seeing] new places with my boyfriend. We often went to Wales a few times. We just loved exploring the surrounding areas and going for days out places. I loved just going on adventures and things like that. 

I was playing the piano as well. Being at uni and staying here, I’ve not been able to do that as much, but when I go home, I love picking it up and trying to get back into it wherever possible.

Doing a degree, I found it hard to get into the reading now. When you’re kind of forced to be told what text you do, it kind of takes the fun out of it. I was part of a book club for a while. Obviously, life got in the way for my uni group and things. We’ve not carried that on [in] a while. I’m trying to find my love of reading again and get back into that as much as possible. 

BRCA1 gene 

My mom was diagnosed in 2019 for a second time with breast cancer. It’s then when she found out she had the BRCA1 gene. Knowing that it can be inherited 50-50 chance, I thought I want to know straight away whether I’ve got it. 

I think it was actually December 2020 [when] I had the blood test, and I found out January 2021. I received the results I had inherited the BRCA1 gene. I was due to start preventative measures — so annual scans, MRI scans — when I turned 25. 

What was the plan from the doctors?

I hadn’t started any scans yet because I was only 23 when I found out. I just had the blood test, and I’d had a call with a genetics counselor and a breast nurse. The only thing was, obviously, [to] tell me things with my lifestyle, exercise, [and] keep an eye out. I was on the combined contraceptive pill, and they just warned me to come off that and change to the mini pill instead. Until I turned 25, it was just be aware of myself and just monthly checks really.

Finding a lump

Around 2021, July [or] August, I started to feel a bit of a lump. It went and it kept coming back, and I thought, “Is it because I’ve now started doing more things at the gym, such as lifting? Is it something to do with that?” 

I was keeping an eye on it. I noticed something at the other side that kept coming and going as well. That happened for around 2-3 months. [I] didn’t really think too much [or] anything of it.

It was just a lump. Slight pain, but not too much. It didn’t really feel like what a typical cancer lump feels like. Around September, [the lump] had been there a bit longer than usual. When [my boyfriend] gets ill, he actually gets swollen lymph nodes. I said to him, “Do you mind just feeling it? Does this feel like what your lymph node feels like?” 

Normally, he’s [like], “I’ll just keep an eye on. It’s fine.” But he said, “No, Lucy, that doesn’t feel like it. You should tell your mom. Get your mom to feel it and get it checked at the doctor.” With him saying that, I thought, “I’m on something. It’s not right.” 

The next day I got my mom to check it. We thought it doesn’t feel like a cancerous lump, but obviously being high risk, having a 60 to 90% chance or higher chance of getting breast cancer, I thought, “I need to ring the doctors.” The next day, I rang the doctors.

Advocating for an appointment

[The doctors] were still doing a lot of telephone appointments, so I called. When I called, I said, “Can I have an appointment with the doctors?” They said, “Well, it’s only telephone appointments.” 

I was like, “I found a lump. I need to see them.” She was like, “Okay, well, we can do it in whatever time.” I made sure to tell them, “I am high risk. I have got the BRCA gene.” 

She said, “Okay, yes, you need to be seen.” She got me in for a few days later. I managed to see a doctor, and she checked it over. She didn’t think it was anything. She just thought it was fibrous tissue as well [and] didn’t think it felt like a cancer tumor. 

You can’t be too careful being high risk. They sent in a request for me at the hospital at the breast unit, just to have a scan and be checked over. That came within 2 weeks. Then I went to the breast unit [and] was checked over by the nurse initially. She thought it was fibrous tissue, but I still had a scan. 

Then he didn’t think it was anything. An ultrasound. He didn’t think it was anything to be worried about. On a scale of 1 to 5, he measured my scan at number 3, which is slightly abnormal, but nothing unusual and to be too worried about. But they did say because I’m BRCA1, they will take a biopsy. Luckily they did. Thank God they did take a biopsy.

Diagnosis

The breast cancer diagnosis

They told me I would get the results back [in 7 to 10 days], and the nurse told me it would be probably her or her other colleague, a nurse, that would give me my results. 

It was the Tuesday or Wednesday I had that, and then on the Monday, I got a call from the nurse saying, “Can you come in on the 13th? The surgeon wants to speak to you.” Hang on, it’s supposed to be the nurse that was speaking to me to give me my results. It’s now the surgeon. It can’t be good news. 

Of course, you do whatever you can. There’s that slight bit of hope, “It is fibrous tissue, but he just wants to talk about getting it surgically removed.” Yes, 3 days after my 24th birthday, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Were you expecting it to be breast cancer or nothing serious?

It was promising. I was trying to think, “Well, multiple medical professionals, like 3 medical professionals, have thought [it’s fibrous tissue].” I didn’t feel my mom’s cancer lump when she had hers, so I couldn’t really compare. My mom didn’t really think it was too [similar[, I don’t think

From what I can remember, my dad didn’t think it was similar to my mom’s. Of course, I was trying not to get my hopes up that it is, but of course, you’ve got that slight bit of hope. 

Until I had the results, I was trying not to think too much of it. I think I had this feeling, especially since I had the call from the nurse saying the surgeon wants to see you. Especially since that, I had this feeling it’s cancer. Why else would you want that?

What if you hadn’t gotten that biopsy?

It’s a scary thought because I kind of want to hope that they would have done a biopsy anyway. I have known people that they haven’t done biopsy [for], and luckily it’s not been cancer. But then you also do hear some horror stories of people that just kind of get a bit fobbed off, saying, “Oh, you’re too young for it to be cancer. It doesn’t feel like it.” They’re lucky if they get a scan. 

I made sure to push the fact that I had the BRCA mutation. Obviously, I was terrified, thinking, “If they want to do a biopsy, that means they think it might be cancer. But then if they don’t do a biopsy, what about if it still ended up being one and it’s missed?” 

I did say to my mom I hate the fact that she had cancer, but in a weird way, I said she kind of saved my life. If she wasn’t diagnosed a second time, she wouldn’t have known about having the BRCA gene. Then I wouldn’t have found out about it. In a weird sort of way, I told her that she’s kind of saved my life for that reason.