Woman diagnosed with rare form of breast cancer wants others to be aware

BERINO, New Mexico -- A Berino woman who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer wants other women to be aware of the disease, which has become an "expensive situation" for her.

Lisa Alvarado-Dominguez, who turns 35 Tuesday, was recently diagnosed with metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma of the breast.

According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, metaplastic breast cancer is a “rare and aggressive” form of breast cancer. The five-year survival rate of patients with this cancer is 55%, however MD Anderson Cancer Center states that the current survival rate may be higher due to “new and more effective treatments,” as the figure calculated doesn’t take people diagnosed within “the last few years.”

Less than 1% of all cancer diagnosis’s are attributed to metaplastic breast cancer, and MD Anderson attributes its rarity to a lack of clinical trials. 

Alvarado-Dominguez hopes to be admitted into the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to receive treatment.

If you want to help Lisa in her fight, she's set up a GoFundME that can be found here.