Woman Survives Stage 4 Breast Cancer After Seeking Treatment Abroad

Lynette McHendry has overcome a decade-long battle with aggressive breast cancer, including stage 4 diagnoses and spread to her brain. Initially diagnosed at 37 with triple negative breast cancer in one breast and inflammatory breast cancer in the other, she has now maintained No Evidence of Active Disease (NEAD) status since 2018.

Seeking Advanced Treatment

Dissatisfied with local treatment plans in Northern Ireland, Ms. McHendry sought a second opinion at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London. This led to genetic testing, which confirmed she was BRCA1 positive. The hospital recommended platinum chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors, treatments not readily available to her at home at the time. She stated that women across the UK were receiving treatments she had not been offered, indicating Northern Ireland was behind in its approach to her specific type of cancer.

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Her personalised treatment plan, which included tailored platinum chemotherapy and coming off a drug unsuitable for her, made a significant difference. Ms. McHendry highlighted that in 2026, patients with her condition receive more targeted therapies than were available a decade prior.

Battling Metastatic Disease

Following her initial breast cancer treatment, the cancer spread to her brain. Ms. McHendry underwent two separate craniotomies (brain surgeries) and received targeted stereotactic radiotherapy for brain lesions. She also experienced sepsis and partial paralysis during this period. Despite these challenges, a scan in 2018 showed she had achieved NEAD status, a condition she has maintained.

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Reflecting on her journey, Ms. McHendry expressed gratitude for surviving a stage 4 diagnosis when many others she knew did not. She is now an advocate for living with cancer and believes advancements in treatments and drugs will allow more women to live longer with the disease. Professor Stuart McIntosh, a professor of surgical oncology at Queen's University Belfast, noted that Northern Ireland's role in developing treatments and pioneering clinical trials, such as for PARP inhibitors, has led to more positive prognoses for women.