Nancy Chapin tackles cancer the way she approaches everything in life—head-on and with a healthy dose of humor. At age 81, Nancy has undergone treatment for breast cancer twice and is now helping to pave the way for future breast cancer patients. Her wisdom?
“Eat dessert first!” advised Nancy with a twinkle. In other words, live life to the fullest. And her healthcare professionals at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC) are helping her achieve that goal.
Aggressive Return
After finding a lump in her breast, Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 62 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. Unfortunately, cancer returned almost 20 years later in her opposite breast, this time as HER2-positive breast cancer.
“This aggressive type of breast cancer has high levels of the HER2 protein, which is involved in the growth of cancer cells. As a result, it’s associated with higher rates of recurrence,” explained Mabel Mardones, MD, medical oncologist at RMCC. “However, targeted treatment options for HER2-positive cancer continue to improve outcomes. With treatment, we not only wanted to maintain Nancy’s high quality of life, but provide a potential cure.”
Personalized Care
Nancy received extensive chemotherapy at RMCC’s Rose Medical Center to help eliminate the aggressive cancer. At the same time, she was given HER2-directed therapy, an IV drug that targets HER2 cells directly. The drug works by binding to these specific cells, disrupting the chemical signal that tells them to grow.
Nancy’s chemotherapy lasted 18 months, during which time she took one week off after every two weeks of therapy. Due to her age, Nancy’s therapy was extended over a longer period of time in order to give her smaller daily doses that were easier to tolerate.
“No one wants to go to chemotherapy. Period,” said Nancy. “I can’t say that it was easy but I took it one day at a time. I knew if I could get there each morning, the nurses would make it ok. They absolutely babied me.”
In addition to ensuring Nancy was comfortable and resting during her chemotherapy sessions, the Rose Infusion Center staff administered cold cap therapy, an additional treatment Nancy opted to undergo to ward off chemotherapy-related hair loss. The therapy involves wearing a chilled cap, which cools the scalp and reduces blood flow to the hair follicles.
“Nancy had a wonderful response to chemotherapy,” said Dr. Mardones. “She had only minuscule disease remaining and could then go on to surgery.”
Jumping to Help
With chemotherapy behind her, Nancy underwent a mastectomy to help prevent the cancer from returning. And like her entire treatment, she took it in stride.
“I went in for surgery in the morning and was home ordering Chinese by 4 p.m. No joke,” Nancy said.
Soon after, Nancy received an email from RMCC asking if she would be interested in enrolling in the Flamingo-01 Trial, a clinical trial studying a promising vaccine for HER2-positive breast cancer. RMCC is one of 149 research sites—and the highest enrolling site worldwide—for the global study, now in its third and final phase.
Nancy’s response? “Sign me up.”
“Many people think breast cancer is only a younger woman’s disease, but it affects women of all ages and ethnicities. Having Nancy’s involvement as an older woman and of Jewish decent is so important,” explained Dr. Mardones. “Her participation sets the stage for women in the future who will benefit in a more direct and impactful way.”
Promising Therapies
RMCC offers the Flamingo-01 Trial to eligible patients with HER2-positive breast cancer at almost all RMCC sites. This allows patients the ability to be part of the sought-after study in a convenient location close to home.
“Having access to promising therapies years before they are available to the public is a tremendous benefit to our patients and one reason we encourage participation in clinical trials,” said Dr. Mardones. “The excitement level regarding this vaccine in particular is extremely high. In Phase 2 of the study, there were absolutely no cancer recurrences and no systemic side effects found.”
As part of the Flamingo Trial, Nancy receives periodic injections of the vaccine in Dr. Mardones’ office at RMCC Rose Medical Center. And she actually looks forward to the visits. At each appointment, she faithfully wears her fluffy, pink flamingo hat…just to keep the experience fun.
“I’m not sure where that hat came from. It just showed up one day in my attic. I guess the universe decided it belonged to me,” said Nancy.
Living Large
Today, almost four years after she was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, Nancy is cancer-free and taking a big bite out of life once again. She and Jesse, her husband of 40 years, have delved back into their many passions. Not only does Nancy run her own apartment renovation company, but on any given day she might be at the opera, on a road trip to a country music concert, wandering through an art museum, or planning the couple’s next vacation.
Cancer clearly hasn’t held Nancy back. Neither has her age. Her unspoken motto? Do everything with “utz,” the word she uses to describe a little something extra or with a bit of oomph.
It’s a lesson we all could use.
