Inside the Cutting-Edge Care That Helped One Philly Woman Overcome Aggressive Breast Cancer 

There are some moments that split life into before and after. For 36-year-old Kate Korson, that day began on a cold winter morning in 2023.  

Working on a ranch in Colorado, Korson was miles from home when she discovered a lump in her breast. When a mammogram suggested cancer, she booked a flight to Philadelphia.  

“Our family values Penn—if anything serious happens we go to Penn,” says Korson. “So, after I got my diagnosis, a week later I was home in Philadelphia.”  

Penn Medicine has been central to her family’s health. In 2002, her father was treated there for ventricular tachycardia, a serious heart rhythm disorder. Four years later, her mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and enrolled in a clinical trial at Penn—a decision that has kept her cancer-free to this day.  

“I think that was really formative for me,” says Korson. “She was so courageous, I saw the benefits of doing a clinical trial through her experience […] and I thought, if I’m going to go through this really terrible thing, what can I do to make it better for other people?”  

Korson’s journey started with a breast cancer nurse navigator, a specially-trained nurse who guides patients through the complexities of their diagnosis and treatment process at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.  

Before Korson even boarded a plane to Philadelphia her appointments were in place thanks to her nurse navigator. When she landed she would meet with Dr. Hayley Knollman, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine’s Rena Rowan Breast Center, and Dr. Oluwadamilola “Lola” Fayanju, Chief of Breast Surgery.  

“When your life is in jeopardy, all you want is to feel safe,” says Korson. “And it’s not just the doctors [who make you feel safe], when you step into the building at Penn, it’s everybody.”  

A biopsy confirmed what she feared: the lump was cancerous. And not just cancer, but aggressive stage III triple negative breast cancer. 

But Korson wasn’t facing her diagnosis alone. As a lifelong athlete, she knew teamwork was essential to achieving her goal. Drs. Knollman and Fayanju were a part of her “dream team.”  

“Literally everyone [at Penn] is dream team material,” recalls Korson. “They have the talent and the leadership, but they also have that humanness that you don’t find every place.”  

While Korson was anxious to start her treatment as soon as possible, Dr. Knollman encouraged her to consider freezing her eggs before chemotherapy, because chemotherapy could impact her future fertility.  

As more young adults face cancer diagnoses, fertility preservation has become an important part of care. At Penn Medicine, it’s just one example of their whole-patient approach, which addresses not only the disease but every aspect of a person’s life. 

In addition to fertility, Korson’s care team also connected her with a psychiatrist to help with the emotional challenges through her journey. The behavioral health experts who work with Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center focus on the unique issues patients confront after their diagnosis. In Korson’s instance, the psychiatrist she met in treatment continues to help her today. 

Korson’s primary care physician, Dr. Ehren Dancy, also made a lasting impression.  

“Sometimes she would just send me messages checking in to see how I was doing,” says Korson. “I can talk about my doctors all day long but at the end of the day it’s the way that they communicate and collaborate—nothing slips through the cracks.”

Her doctors weren’t just connected, they were compassionate. And, equally important, Korson says, was the emotional support she found at every turn. 

“I formed so many close relationships,” notes Korson. “I constantly felt so supported and safe—and when you feel safe it’s easier to focus on doing what you need to do to beat cancer.”  

That support not only helped her stay resilient but also gave her the strength for what lay ahead. 

Triple negative breast cancer is notoriously difficult to treat because it lacks the three receptors (proteins) most drug therapies target. The standard plan involves months of aggressive chemotherapy and immunotherapy with five different drugs—hoping the cancer will respond to at least one. 

Korson, though, wasn’t intimidated by the odds. With a family history of participating in clinical trials, she was ready to think differently from the very beginning. 

“I wanted to contribute as much to the greater fight, the bigger cause, as I could,” explains Korson.  

Her willingness to try something new made all the difference.  

Korson enrolled on a clinical trial that uses additional information about the tumor as well as insights from similar cases to create a more personalized approach to her care. This required that she undergo another breast biopsy. 

On the clinical trial, her doctors used a treatment called an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), which combines a special antibody with chemotherapy, allowing them to target her cancer cells directly while avoiding much of the healthy tissue around them.  

Additionally, because the treatment response was monitored closely on the clinical trial, her doctors noted that the treatment worked in a fraction of the time to significantly reduce the size of her tumor. Because of this great response and because she was enrolled on the clinical trial, she was able to move on to surgery after just four infusions (compared to the 16 many triple negative patients require).  

“I remember my oncologist and my trial nurse telling me the news,” recalls Korson. “I cried a lot of tears of joy—it wasn’t just a personal accomplishment. I really felt like I was tangibly helping other people.”  

At the same time that Dr. Fayanju performed her double mastectomy to remove the remaining cancer, plastic surgeon Dr. Jessica Rose performed reconstructive surgery.  

“Losing my breasts was the most emotionally-charged moment for me,” says Korson. “I don’t know why but I just couldn’t hold it in.”  

The plastic surgeons at Penn’s RESTORE: Center for Advanced Breast Reconstruction perform among the highest number of breast reconstruction procedures in the nation and offer a range of advanced surgical options for patients. Reconstructive surgery plays a huge role in helping patients feel like themselves again physically and mentally.  

“It’s a difficult decision to make,” says Korson, “but I’m so glad I did.”  

Diagnosed in January 2023, Korson completed her treatment a year and a half later, on May 1, 2024.  

And although she’s glad to leave her cancer behind, the team that rallied behind her at Penn is one that she is forever grateful for.  

“Going through the experience, you have to really trust your doctors, and not just your doctor, but your whole health care team,” says Korson. “That [trust] is invaluable.”  

For newly diagnosed breast cancer patients like Korson, a new telehealth rapid access program at Penn is expediting care, allowing them to meet with a breast cancer nurse within 24–48 hours to discuss their diagnosis, next steps, and arrange the needed tests and referrals so their care advances quickly and smoothly. The rapid access program is available to patients at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Penn Medicine Radnor, Penn Medicine Valley Forge, and will expand to additional locations in the future. 

Click here to learn more about how Penn Medicine’s Breast Cancer Program is transforming care for patients.

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