Ten Years in Remission: The Long-Term Journey of a Breast Cancer Survivor
Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains a challenging clinical entity, with long-term remission being rare. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman diagnosed in 2009 with HER2-positive, hormone receptor-positive invasive carcinoma of the right breast with extensive hepatic metastases. Following multimodal treatment, including surgery, multiple lines of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy, she achieved complete remission of metastatic disease in 2016 and remained disease-free until her death in 2025. Her clinical course was later complicated by the development of a second primary gastric adenocarcinoma in 2024, as well as treatment-related hepatic toxicity. This case illustrates that, in selected patients, prolonged remission can be achieved through a multidisciplinary, personalized treatment strategy and personalized approach. At the same time, it underscores the critical importance of long-term surveillance for secondary malignancies and late treatment-related adverse effects.
Authors
- Sérgio Viana Peixoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9431-2280)
- Raquel Basto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2805-2553)
- Enrique Dias
Institutions
- Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia (PT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cureus
- Published
- 2025-12-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.98291
- Primary Topic
- Metastasis and carcinoma case studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00