Former Duke Fertility Doctor Bounces Back After Breast Cancer
Published
From the Duke Cancer Institute archives. Content may be out of date.
Jen Eaton, MD, was a textbook example of a woman at low risk for breast cancer. At almost 43 years old, she did high-intensity workouts five days a week, all her screening mammograms had been normal, and she did not have a strong family history of the disease. “I was in the best shape of my life,” she says.
So in May 2020, when Eaton happened to feel a lump in her right breast, she told herself it was probably nothing. As a fertility doctor and Medical Director of Assisted Reproductive Technology at Duke Fertility Center, she was well aware of the data -- most lumps aren’t cancer, and breast self-exams aren’t routinely recommended because the data suggest that they don’t improve survival outcomes.
But her concerns lingered. So she called her own ob-gyn, Louise Highley, MD, MSPH. “I was embarrassed to tell Dr. Highley that I had a lump because I felt that it was silly,” Eaton says. “But she took it seriously. Had it not been for that, I might have waited another six months to a year. Her willingness to pay attention to my concern saved my life.”
Know Your Own Body
A diagnostic mammogram was normal, but after an ultrasound, Eaton could tell her doctor was worried. Eaton had a biopsy. On her 43rd birthday, she looked at her own results in the electronic medical record. She had cancer — invasive ductal carcinoma.
The next day, Eaton met with Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) surgical oncologist Laura Rosenberger, MD, chief of breast surgery at Duke Regional Hospital. She felt a second lump in Eaton’s left breast. That led to an MRI and two more biopsies, which showed invasive ductal carcinoma, as well as a third area of concern.
In just one month, Eaton was supposed to be moving her family to Rhode Island for a new job at Brown University.
Rosenberger performed a double mastectomy. The surgery and subsequent testing revealed the third concerning area was invasive lobular carcinoma. This cancer was positive for a protein called HER2/neu, which meant she would need chemotherapy as well as a year of the targeted drug, Herceptin.
Eaton had a port placed for chemotherapy before moving to Rhode Island.
She says the care she received at DCI was amazing. “I have recommended Laura Rosenberger to multiple friends since I’ve left,” she says. “She is absolutely kind and brilliant and an amazing surgeon.”
Eaton stayed in touch with her Duke oncologist, Kelly Westbrook, MD. “I trust her opinion more than anyone else’s that I’ve ever encountered in oncology,” she says. “She called me back quite late in the evening when she should have been at home with her own family.” When there were differing opinions about what chemotherapy regimen to use, Westbrook took it back to a team of other medical oncologists at Duke to get recommendations.
In addition, a child life specialist from Duke’s Cancer Patient Support Program advised Eaton about how to talk to her children, who were five and eight at the time. “She was incredibly helpful and gave me tons of information about how to educate my children about my cancer,” Eaton says. The specialist advised her to be honest, and to use the word “cancer.”
Exercising Through Chemo
Jen Eaton, MD, was determined to keeping running and biking throughout cancer treatment. She posted this photo to her Instagram account, @no_excuses_chick, shortly before her chemotherapy port was de-accessed.
After moving, Eaton still had a long treatment regimen ahead. She has tackled it all with tenacity. She went for a run the day after she started chemotherapy.
“It was very stressful for me to hear that I was going to need all of this treatment that could potentially impact my ability to be able to be active and maintain my healthy lifestyle,” she says. “I talked to Dr. Westbrook about whether it would be possible for me to keep exercising during chemotherapy. She explained that not only would it be possible, but it is recommended because data shows that it significantly reduces negative side effects.”
Eaton has had her share of setbacks, including a serious infection in the tissue around one of the tissue expanders she had placed to prepare for reconstructive surgery. After that healed, she found a surgeon in Boston who was willing to try placing another, and it was successful.
Finished with reconstruction, Eaton is now back at work full time as director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Brown University.
Advocating for Yourself
“It has been hard to bounce back, but now that I’ve completed all my surgery, I’m working hard to rebuild my strength,” she says. Eaton posts workout inspiration and reflections on life as a cancer survivor on Instagram at @no_excuses_chick.
For her, the experience has driven home the point that ”breast cancer is common and often quite random.”
“I was healthy, active, had a normal BMI. I breastfed my children. I did all the things I was supposed to do,” she says.
Eaton advises women to advocate for themselves and know their own bodies. “Ask that your doctor listen to your concerns even if they don’t fit the algorithm,” she says. All of her mammograms were normal, and it wasn’t that they were misread; the cancer simply did not show up. Eaton has dense breast tissue, as 40 to 50 percent of women ages 40 to 74 do.
“If you have any concerns about the reliability of your routine screening or whether or not it’s meaningful for you, ask your doctor — ‘should I be getting an ultrasound, should I be getting an MRI, should I be doing routine self exams?’” Eaton says. “Being a doctor myself, I would always take whatever my doctor said as verbatim, and now I’m more likely to ask questions and not feel like I’m annoying or contradicting the physician.”
What's Best for Breasts?
Watch cancer survivor Jen Eaton, MD, and others speak at this recorded DCI educational symposium.
The American Cancer Society released its 2025 statistics publications, offering insights into cancer incidence, mortality, treatment and survival.Rising Cancer Incidence Rates in Younger WomenThis year’s report reveals that for women younger than 50, the risk of developing cancer is 82 percent higher than men, up from 51 percent in 2022. This marks the first time cancer incidence rates in women under 50 have surpassed men.A main contributor to this higher incidence rate is breast cancer, which predominantly affects women. Higher obesity rates, increased alcohol use, and later-in-life pregnancies have long been identified as risk factors for breast cancer; however, there are still lots of unknowns.“I often see women coming into my clinic with breast cancer who ‘did all the right things,’” said Jennifer Plichta, MD, MS, breast surgical oncologist and provider for the Duke Breast Risk Assessment Clinic. “We know some of the risk factors, but I think that we still struggle with how those risk factors come together.”While there are many examples of breast cancer research and prevention efforts for women over 50, younger women are often less involved in those efforts. Plichta said some of the reason for that may have to do with the severity of side effects of breast cancer prevention options – most commonly, surgeries that cause permanent changes to the body and medications that often produce menopausal symptoms and may make it more difficult to conceive.In view of rising incidence rates in younger women, Plichta believes it’s important for providers to clearly communicate with patients to help them really understand their risk factors and make the best choice for themselves. Plichta currently leads the Breast Risk Assessment Clinic, which focuses on understanding breast cancer risk and personalizing management strategies. Additionally, Rani Bansal, MD, a breast medical oncologist, is working on opening a clinic specifically focused on young breast cancer patients.“It’s a real worry that more younger women are getting breast cancer,” she said. “We need to start having conversations with them earlier and more often so they can know what to do.”Improving Survival Rates, Except in Uterine CancersThe incidence and mortality of many cancer types is declining in the U.S., but uterine cancer cases have been increasing by about one percent per year, and even more among non-white women. Andrew Berchuck, MD, director of the DCI gynecologic cancer group, notes this increase is mostly due to high obesity rates.“Obesity causes excessive production of estrogenic hormones that can stimulate growth and cancer development in the uterine lining,” Berchuck said. “Reducing obesity rates is important from a broad health perspective and would also reverse the rise in uterine cancer incidence.”Since 1975, the five-year survival rate for uterine cancer has decreased from 87 percent to 81 percent. It is now the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Additionally, uterine cancer has one of the largest racial disparities in survival – 84 percent in white patients, compared to 63 percent in Black patients.To address these trends, DCI researchers have developed a national uterine cancer consortium looking into molecular features of these cancers to help develop new targeted therapies, led by Angeles Secord, MD, associate director of the DCI gynecologic cancer group. The efforts of the consortium are highlighted at the annual She Dunks on Endometrial Cancer, taking place on Feb. 23 this year.“Duke is helping lead the charge in improving treatment for uterine cancer,” Berchuck said. “We are hopeful that our efforts can lead to better outcomes for our patients in the future.”
The American Cancer Society released its 2025 statistics publications, offering insights into cancer incidence, mortality, treatment and survival.Rising Cancer Incidence Rates in Younger WomenThis year’s report reveals that for women younger than 50, the risk of developing cancer is 82 percent higher than men, up from 51 percent in 2022. This marks the first time cancer incidence rates in women under 50 have surpassed men.A main contributor to this higher incidence rate is breast cancer, which predominantly affects women. Higher obesity rates, increased alcohol use, and later-in-life pregnancies have long been identified as risk factors for breast cancer; however, there are still lots of unknowns.“I often see women coming into my clinic with breast cancer who ‘did all the right things,’” said Jennifer Plichta, MD, MS, breast surgical oncologist and provider for the Duke Breast Risk Assessment Clinic. “We know some of the risk factors, but I think that we still struggle with how those risk factors come together.”While there are many examples of breast cancer research and prevention efforts for women over 50, younger women are often less involved in those efforts. Plichta said some of the reason for that may have to do with the severity of side effects of breast cancer prevention options – most commonly, surgeries that cause permanent changes to the body and medications that often produce menopausal symptoms and may make it more difficult to conceive.In view of rising incidence rates in younger women, Plichta believes it’s important for providers to clearly communicate with patients to help them really understand their risk factors and make the best choice for themselves. Plichta currently leads the Breast Risk Assessment Clinic, which focuses on understanding breast cancer risk and personalizing management strategies. Additionally, Rani Bansal, MD, a breast medical oncologist, is working on opening a clinic specifically focused on young breast cancer patients.“It’s a real worry that more younger women are getting breast cancer,” she said. “We need to start having conversations with them earlier and more often so they can know what to do.”Improving Survival Rates, Except in Uterine CancersThe incidence and mortality of many cancer types is declining in the U.S., but uterine cancer cases have been increasing by about one percent per year, and even more among non-white women. Andrew Berchuck, MD, director of the DCI gynecologic cancer group, notes this increase is mostly due to high obesity rates.“Obesity causes excessive production of estrogenic hormones that can stimulate growth and cancer development in the uterine lining,” Berchuck said. “Reducing obesity rates is important from a broad health perspective and would also reverse the rise in uterine cancer incidence.”Since 1975, the five-year survival rate for uterine cancer has decreased from 87 percent to 81 percent. It is now the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Additionally, uterine cancer has one of the largest racial disparities in survival – 84 percent in white patients, compared to 63 percent in Black patients.To address these trends, DCI researchers have developed a national uterine cancer consortium looking into molecular features of these cancers to help develop new targeted therapies, led by Angeles Secord, MD, associate director of the DCI gynecologic cancer group. The efforts of the consortium are highlighted at the annual She Dunks on Endometrial Cancer, taking place on Feb. 23 this year.“Duke is helping lead the charge in improving treatment for uterine cancer,” Berchuck said. “We are hopeful that our efforts can lead to better outcomes for our patients in the future.”