# From Prophylactic Screening to Definitive Treatment: A Case Report of Breast Cancer in a Young Woman

**Authors:** Sandra Czyz, Wiktoria Marszal, Rafal Marszal

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.101722 · 2026-01-17

## TL;DR

A 39-year-old woman with a family history of breast cancer was diagnosed early through screening and underwent successful treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy.

## Contribution

This case highlights the importance of prophylactic screening and multidisciplinary treatment in young breast cancer patients.

## Key findings

- Early detection via routine ultrasonography led to timely diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma.
- The patient completed treatment without pathogenic gene mutations identified through genetic testing.
- Complications during chemotherapy required removal of a vascular port before treatment completion.

## Abstract

This article presents the case of a 39-year-old woman with a positive family history of breast cancer (her family member had left breast cancer, cT4N2M0, non-luminal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive). During routine prophylactic ultrasonographic examination, a breast mass was detected, which, on further diagnostics, turned out to be an invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. The stage of the disease was determined as pT1cN1mic(sn), Nottingham Histologic Grade 3 (NHG 3).

The patient was subjected to surgical treatment, which involved left mastectomy with simultaneous removal of the axillary sentinel lymph node. Subsequently, adjuvant chemotherapy was administered, including a "dose-dense" regimen with the use of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, followed by treatment with paclitaxel. During chemotherapy, complications related to the implantation of a vascular port occurred, which resulted in its removal before the completion of treatment.

After the completion of chemotherapy, breast reconstruction was performed. During the entire treatment process, extended genetic diagnostics were performed, which did not demonstrate the presence of pathogenic gene mutations. The treatment was completed, and the patient remains under continuous care of the oncology outpatient clinic.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2)
- **Chemicals:** doxorubicin (PubChem CID 31703), cyclophosphamide (PubChem CID 2907), paclitaxel (PubChem CID 36314)
- **Diseases:** breast cancer (MONDO:0004989)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CALCA (calcitonin related polypeptide alpha) [NCBI Gene 796] {aka CALC1, CGRP, CGRP-I, CGRP-alpha, CGRP1, CT}, CHEK2 (checkpoint kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 11200] {aka CDS1, CHK2, HuCds1, LFS2, PP1425, RAD53}, CYGB (cytoglobin) [NCBI Gene 114757] {aka HGB, NOD, STAP}, TENM1 (teneurin transmembrane protein 1) [NCBI Gene 10178] {aka ODZ1, ODZ3, TEN-M1, TEN1, TNM, TNM1}, ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 2064] {aka CD340, HER-2, HER-2/neu, HER2, MLN 19, MLN-19}, GPT (glutamic--pyruvic transaminase) [NCBI Gene 2875] {aka AAT1, ALT, ALT1, GPT1, SGPT}, BRCA1 (BRCA1 DNA repair associated) [NCBI Gene 672] {aka BRCAI, BRCC1, BROVCA1, FANCS, IRIS, PNCA4}, PALB2 (partner and localizer of BRCA2) [NCBI Gene 79728] {aka BROVCA5, FANCN, PNCA3}, CRP (C-reactive protein) [NCBI Gene 1401] {aka PTX1}, SLC17A5 (solute carrier family 17 member 5) [NCBI Gene 26503] {aka AST, ISSD, NSD, SD, SIALIN, SIASD}
- **Diseases:** vomiting (MESH:D014839), dysplastic (MESH:D004416), nausea (MESH:D009325), Hypoechoic lesion (MESH:D009059), leukopenia (MESH:D007970), weakness (MESH:D018908), cancers (MESH:D009369), adenocarcinoma (MESH:D000230), anxiety (MESH:D001007), abscess (MESH:D000038), fatty (MESH:D008067), inflammatory (MESH:D007249), pain (MESH:D010146), adenosis (MESH:D005348), breast disease (MESH:D001941), invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast (MESH:D018270), invasive (MESH:D009361), Cyst (MESH:D003560), tumor-node-metastasis (MESH:D008207), Breast cancer (MESH:D001943), pneumothorax (MESH:D011030), impaired fasting glucose (MESH:D007003), Invasive cancer (MESH:D009362), breast mass (MESH:D061325)
- **Chemicals:** Clexane (MESH:D017984), cyclophosphamide (MESH:D003520), zoledronic acid (MESH:D000077211), paclitaxel (MESH:D017239), clarithromycin (MESH:D017291), pantoprazole (MESH:D000077402), alcohol (MESH:D000438), steroid (MESH:D013256), dexamethasone (MESH:D003907), Klabax (-), doxorubicin (MESH:D004317)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12909281/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12909281