Brianna Panko’s breast cancer journey started in 2019 after she dropped her cell phone.
Panko had been talking when the phone slipped and become lodged in her left armpit. As she retrieved it, Panko felt a lump on the side of her breast.
“I was just 27 years old, so I thought that this couldn’t possibly be breast cancer,” Panko said. “It was just a swollen lymph node.”
Diagnostic tests revealed the Erie woman did have stage 3 breast cancer, a disease she continues to battle seven years later.
She is one of a growing number of Americans younger than 50 who are being diagnosed with certain cancers, including breast and colon cancers, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute. The increase comes at a time when the overall rate of cancer cases in young adults has declined.
“We are seeing it in colon cancer, and also in breast cancer among younger women,” said Dr. Talal Khan, a medical oncologist and hematologist with AHN Cancer Institute in Erie. “The incidence rates are increasing about 1% a year nationwide.”
The reasons for the rise in breast, colon and certain other cancers among young adults are complex, Khan said. Part of the explanation is that improved scans and testing are detecting cancers in younger people at earlier stages.
“Part of the reason is lifestyle, nutrition and activity levels,” Khan said. “Obesity plays a role, as does smoking and alcohol.”
Panko, who works as a Millcreek Township School District counselor, lived a relatively healthy, active life at the time she was diagnosed. Her fitness level and age would help her handle the assortment of cancer treatments she would undergo.
She underwent 18 weeks of chemotherapy in July 2019, followed by a bilateral mastectomy.
“I had a cancer that was both hormone positive and HER-2 positive, so I knew it was aggressive and the risk of recurrence was high,” Panko said. “So, I decided to treat it aggressively.”
Panko underwent 25 rounds of radiation after her surgery and a year of immunotherapy. She was scheduled to undergo 28 rounds, but she suffered radiation burns serious enough to stop them early.
Once she recovered, Panko underwent breast reconstructive surgery.
“It was really difficult to be 27, single and flat chested, wanting to meet people when your body looks so different and your hair is gone,” Panko said.
Being so young also has helped Panko battle the nausea, fatigue and other side effects of cancer treatments. She continued to work for much of her treatment, only taking medical leave during her fourth round of chemotherapy.
She even started dating Grant Panko during her recovery.
“It was when I was taking immunotherapy,” Panko said. “We met playing softball and just hit it off. I said to him, ‘What are you hoping to get out of dating a girl with cancer?’ He just said that I was beautiful and smart.”
The couple married in October 2023. Unfortunately, it was three months after her cancer returned.
‘Weird’ symptoms spurred Panko to text oncologist
Panko knew something was up when she started experiencing “weird” symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. She texted her oncologist and underwent a scan.
“I had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, even though I had undergone the mastectomy,” Panko said. “It had spread to my liver.”
She started oral chemotherapy so she wouldn’t lose her hair before the wedding. It worked, for a while.
The cancer returned to her liver in April 2024. She started the targeted cancer therapy medication Enhertu, which she calls the miracle drug.
“It gave me terrible side effects but I had no evidence of cancer for two years. Then in March I had another recurrence in my liver,” Panko said.
Doctors prescribed targeted radiation treatments and more Enhertu. So far, it has been effective.
Panko believes she can battle this disease for decades
Panko said it is unlikely that she will ever be cured but believes that she could battle this disease for decades. She even had her eggs frozen before chemotherapy in hopes of one day having children.
“We’re moving to where metastatic breast cancer can become a chronic illness,” Panko said. “Hopefully the advances in medicine continue.”
