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Patient Stories
Susan
 In
2004 at the age of 59, Susan, a high school art teacher who had been married
for 39 years with three children and six grandsons, had a routine mammogram
revealing an irregularity that turned out to be infiltrating ductal carcinoma
(IDCA).
Following a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and a sentinel lymph node biopsy,
Susan underwent a series of tests, including a PET/CT scan to determine if the
cancer had spread. She was reassured when all of these tests were negative, but
Susan wanted to have more confidence that her cancer would not recur. After
hearing about Oncotype DX® from a friend, Susan asked her
doctor about it.
Her physician agreed she would be an appropriate candidate since her tumor was
classified as lymph-node negative and estrogen-receptor positive, and this
information could help them evaluate her subsequent treatment options.
To Susan and her physician’s surprise, her Oncotype DX Recurrence
Score™ result was 31, indicating that she was at high risk of cancer
recurrence and would be expected to benefit significantly from chemotherapy.
“I looked at the doctor like he had the wrong person,” recalled Susan. “I was
just cruising along with all of these negative tests and thought I’d be done
with it all by the end of the summer.”
Based on her high Oncotype DX results, Susan’s physician recommended
chemotherapy, which she began immediately.
“I believe this test basically saved my life,” explained Susan. “Even though I
didn’t want to do the chemo, I knew it would lessen the chances of cancer
recurring. And based on all of the other tests I had after the lumpectomy, my
doctor said he wouldn’t have otherwise recommended chemotherapy.”
Diane
 A
commercial airline pilot with 27 years of experience, 50-year-old Diane is no
stranger to making difficult decisions. Yet in December 2005, when she
discovered a small lump in her left breast during a self-examination, she found
herself on a critical quest for assistance and answers.
An inconclusive mammogram led to an ultrasound, which revealed small areas of
concern. A tissue biopsy confirmed her worst fears. Rather than one sizable
tumor, Diane’s cancer took the form of many tiny tumors scattered within a 2
½-inch area of her breast. She was immediately treated with a mastectomy and
breast reconstruction in January 2006.
More tough questions followed. Although the tumors themselves were very small,
the affected site was quite large, so Diane’s physician could not confidently
rule out the need for chemotherapy based on standard measures such as tumor
size and grade. Diane worried about her future health and job security.
In his search for information, Diane’s physician turned to Oncotype DX
for a genomic analysis of her disease. About a week later, Diane learned that
her Oncotype DX Recurrence Score was 13, suggesting that she would
receive minimal benefit from chemotherapy. As a result, she felt confident that
she could avoid the treatment and its side effects, and was able to continue
her career and active lifestyle. She was also able to keep her long hair, which
she’s spent 23 years growing.
“This test is a gift to breast cancer patients who would otherwise live in
constant fear that their disease might come back,” said Diane. Now that I know
my risk of recurrence is very low, it’s easy for me to keep enjoying all the
things I love to do, including golf, scuba diving, hiking, and of course,
flying.”
Katherine
 In
2003, Katherine, a 53-year-old podiatrist and one of the first female karate
black belts in the United States, found a lump in her breast during a
self-examination. After multiple rounds of tests and a double mastectomy to
remove her invasive breast cancer, Katherine faced the distressing choice of
whether to get chemotherapy to reduce the likelihood of her cancer from coming
back.
As Katherine contemplated her decision, her husband learned about Oncotype
DX, a new test that was coming on to the market. Katherine’s physician had
heard about the test, but didn’t think that it would be ready for a couple of
years. They made a deal that if she did the legwork in researching when the
test would become available, he would get it for her. In the meantime, standard
assessments of Katherine’s tumor indicated that chemotherapy would be
necessary. She immediately got to work, calling the company regularly for
updates on the status of the test’s availability.
Katherine’s persistence paid off in January 2004 when she became the first
patient to use the Oncotype DX test and learned she had a Recurrence
Score result of 18. Following treatment with an aromatase inhibitor, Katherine
has become a certified ski instructor along with her husband and enjoys
spending time together with their dog, Connor who is also a cancer survivor.
“If I had needed chemo, I would have done it in an instant, but I didn’t want
to get the chemicals if I didn’t have to,” said Katherine. “I had a chance to
choose and I chose to get back to my life.”
Sandy
 For
Sandy, a 38-year-old preschool teacher and young mother, the thought of breast
cancer never crossed her mind and she did not perform regular breast
self-examinations. However, over Memorial Day weekend in 2006, she made an
unexpected and alarming discovery – a lump the size of a small marble in her
left breast.
Confirmed by mammography and ultrasound, the lump was revealed to be malignant
by a needle biopsy procedure. Less than one month after her initial discovery,
Sandy underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and 11 lymph nodes, all of
which turned out to be negative for cancer.
Sandy then faced the challenging decision of whether or not to have
chemotherapy. She knew patients with tumors the size of hers – slightly over
one centimeter – were on the borderline in terms of being recommended for
treatment. Guided by her physician, she turned to the Oncotype DX test
for greater insight about her tumor so that she could make an informed decision
about beginning a therapy associated with so many debilitating side effects.
When her Oncotype DX Recurrence Score came in at 28, at the high end of
the medium-risk range, Sandy immediately decided to proceed with a two-month
course of chemotherapy. Although she experienced bouts of fatigue, she found
the side effects to be surprisingly manageable. In fact, with help and support
from her husband and two young sons, she continued her job teaching a lively
group of four-year-olds. A competitive swimmer in high school, she also kept up
an active exercise program, swimming three times a week.
“The additional information provided by Oncotype DX made a
difficult decision much easier. It was as if I was standing at a huge fork in
the road and the test helped me decide which path to follow,” said Sandy. “Once
I began treatment there was no second-guessing. I felt as if I had made the
best possible decision and I was able to concentrate all my energies on getting
better.”
Penny
 In
June 2004, at the age of 55, Penny had a mammogram that raised some questions
about her right breast. Additional mammograms, including some with
magnification, were inconclusive so Penny went on with her life, enjoying
retirement after working as an information systems analyst.
Then in December, during her annual gynecological exam, Penny’s doctor found a
lump in her right breast. A subsequent mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy
confirmed Penny had breast cancer.
"When I got the call from the surgeon, my husband and I both lost it. I thought
I was dying. I felt like I had no control."
In March 2005, Penny underwent a double mastectomy and the surgery revealed she
had lobular breast carcinoma, which fortunately had not spread to her lymph
nodes.
Penny had more treatment decisions to make, but struggled to understand exactly
what type of breast cancer she had. Fortunately, a friend from Penny’s Bible
study group worked for Genomic Health and he explained that because her tumor
was classified as lymph node negative, estrogen-receptor positive she could use
a test called Oncotype DX to determine the likelihood of whether her
cancer would return.
Penny took the test and when her Oncotype DX Recurrence Score came
back low at 13 she made the decision to skip chemotherapy with confidence,
opting for radiation and hormonal therapy instead. Penny credits the test with
putting her back in control of her disease and life.
Today Penny is cancer free and busier than ever growing and selling produce at
the farmers’ market, making wine with her husband and looking after over 70
animals that live on their land.
Laurie
 Laurie,
a published non-fiction author and Harvard-trained anthropologist, was no
stranger to cancer, having survived Stage IIIB non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1977
at the age of 27. Back then, Laurie was treated with radiation and a lengthy
course of chemotherapy.
However, that did little to ease the shock when an annual mammogram came back
abnormal in November 2005. "In my gut, I knew it was cancer again," Laurie, now
58, said. A biopsy confirmed her suspicions.
Laurie already had an oncologist she trusted, and he enlisted a surgeon and
radiologist. Because Laurie had previously undergone radiation therapy, the
team was unsure if a lumpectomy was a viable option. Fortunately, the team
tracked down medical records from three decades prior and was able to
administer radiation therapy in such a way that Laurie was able to have a
lumpectomy, rather than a mastectomy. Because her margins were not clear,
Laurie underwent two surgeries.
She began hormonal therapy right away, but wanted to avoid chemotherapy because
she had previously received chemotherapy for her lymphoma. "Given my history,
going through chemo again would have been terribly risky," Laurie said.
Her oncologist recommended using the Oncotype DX test to determine
whether Laurie needed chemotherapy. She was relieved when her Recurrence Score
result came back at 17, indicating that she had a low risk of her breast cancer
returning. With the numbers on her side, Laurie, in close consultation with her
oncologist, opted to forgo chemotherapy. "There are so few resources that can
give you that degree of guidance, direction and information to make your
treatment decisions," Laurie said. "I felt like science was really taking care
of me."
Laurie has completed radiation therapy and is undergoing a five-year course of
hormonal therapy. An avid hiker, long-distance swimmer and tai-chi
practitioner, she remains very physically active.
Catherine
 Catherine's
story coming soon.
Susie
 Susie's
story coming soon.
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