10/29/2026
In Spring 2022, Michelle, who was 41 at the time with a 4-year-old son, was diagnosed with metaplastic breast cancer, a rare and aggressive disease that relatively few clinicians have extensive experience treating.
She wanted a second opinion from doctors who are familiar with rare types of breast cancer and immediately came to MSK. Her care team included breast surgeon Dr. Giacomo Montagna, breast cancer oncologist Dr. Pedram Razavi and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Jonas Nelson. In collaboration, they proposed chemotherapy and immunotherapy to shrink the tumor, to be followed by surgery.
“Treatment guidelines are based on more common breast cancers, but we know each rare type is distinct,” Dr. Montagna says. “For rare tumors like metaplastic breast cancer, we have the expertise to deliver the best treatment. MSK patients often have access to experimental treatments before other patients.”
When her tumor grew faster than expected, her care team adapted the treatment plan, performing immediate surgery, followed by chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The highly specialized treatment was effective, enabling her to resume a full, active life.
She continues to be monitored closely by her MSK care team with liquid biopsies — routine blood tests that look for cancer cells circulating in the blood.
Now 46, Michelle is working at an animal welfare nonprofit and enjoying family time with her husband, Jon, and Mateo. On their summer vacation this year, the family traveled through Portugal, Rome, and Greece.
"This is what I hoped for,” she says. “To be together somewhere beautiful, experiencing something new and making the kinds of happy memories I had wanted so much for our family.”
Read more about Michelle's treatment: https://bit.ly/4szfmxp
