Diagnosis

In 2005 I was living and working in Newman in the Pilbara when I noticed excessive sweat under my right armpit after my daily walk. This continued every day so I went to see my GP. He referred me to a surgeon in Port Hedland which was 450kms away. Before the appointment, the surgeon ordered an ultrasound that could only be done in Karratha 600 km away. Just before I headed off for the appointment in Karratha, I got word that a radiographer was passing through my hometown, Newman so I could have the scan done there.

Next, I drove up to Hedland to see the surgeon, only to find that my scan results hadn’t turned up. Frustrated, he said that no matter what the rules were he was going to refer me to Perth as these things just couldn’t be handled properly in the regions. As I had private health insurance, he referred me to a doctor at the Mount Hospital who he went to university with. I was able to get subsidised travel through the WA government, Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) to fly to Perth for assessment.

The testing done at the Mount Hospital revealed there was breast cancer. I was referred to the Breast Surgeon, Dr Ingram because he worked with an oncologist Dr Arlene Chan. Dr Ingram suggested I see Dr Chan first because chemotherapy could reduce the size of the tumour and make subsequent surgery easier.

On my first consultation with Arlene, she suggested I could be eligible for a clinical trial but as part of that, there would be extensive baseline testing including a PET scan.  Two weeks later when I saw Arlene for the results, I remember she said “Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?” The bad news was that the PET scan had shown that the cancer had metastasised to the neck which was confirmed by biopsy, so I would no longer be eligible for that clinical trial. However, the good news was, “ I have another clinical trial that you can be part of”. The new trial was an international trial using Herceptin which was not then available in Australia on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

My breast cancer treatment journey had begun having access to world-class clinical trials was working for me from the start.

Relocating to Perth

Although I was keen to get started on my treatment, the clinical trial required chemotherapy every week. This made continuing to live in Newman very difficult. I had to take leave from my job, leave my husband behind and stay in Perth for an indefinite period to undertake chemotherapy. Staying with my kids in a 2 bedroom unit wasn’t feasible. So I had to rent a unit in Perth and buy a car so that I could commute weekly to the Mount Hospital where treatment took place in those days.

Undergoing treatment as part of a clinical trial

My diagnosis was HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

So on the 26^th October 2005, I commenced chemotherapy. The clinical trial involved a combination of Oral treatments. In this trial, the chemotherapy, Herceptin was given by infusion weekly.

The first 6 months were hard. I suffered all the normal side effects…my hair fell out, I suffered from nausea, diarrhoea and fatigue. Dr Chan was positive though and this kept me positive as well.

After 6 months, I felt able to return to work. I couldn’t go back to my job in Newman though because of the need for weekly chemotherapy. I was lucky that I was able to negotiate a job in the Head Office of the WA Department of Training and Workforce Development. The job was at a lower level than I had worked in Newman but it suited my health level, given that I still became fatigued by the end of the day. After 6 months back at work, the Department offered me an interesting job role at a higher level which I felt I could now cope with. They agreed that I could leave work early every Monday and go for Chemo.

This routine continued for the next 8 years. The trial was finalised and the results were reported in 2013. I was in the top 5% of respondents in the world to this treatment.

In 2014 at a multidisciplinary case conference with the surgeon and radiologist, it was decided that as I had responded so well to the chemotherapy, that I would not have surgery or radiation treatment for my cancer.  So, Dr Chan continued with the infusions of Herceptin but I moved from having chemo once a week to the more normal 3 weekly doses.

Another Breast Cancer

Luckily for me, Dr Chan continued to monitor the effectiveness of my treatment. I had regular, CT scans, mammograms and ultrasounds of both breasts. In 2018 this regular screening picked up another unrelated early stage cancer in my left breast. This time I had surgery to remove the tumour followed by radiation treatment. No chemotherapy was needed for this one. I did have to take hormone tablets for the next 5 years though.

Cure for Metastatic Breast Cancer

When I went for my annual review in late 2021, Dr Chan surprised me by saying that after 16 years of regular chemotherapy, she regarded me as being cured of the metastatic breast cancer. I was sceptical and asked she keep reviewing me annually. However, all of my subsequent scans including PET scans have shown no evidence of disease.

I have a lot to thank Dr Arlene Chan for. Those extra years of life have enabled me to see both of my children marry and have children. I now have 4 wonderful grandchildren. My treatment has allowed me to be present in their lives and have the joy of seeing the next generation grow and learn. I look forward to spending more years with my precious family.