How One Patient’s Genetic Mutation Led to a Groundbreaking Clinical Trial and Renewed Hope

In 2010, at age 47, Sara Whitlock received a life-altering diagnosis: stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a 3% chance of surviving five years. The shock was immense, especially since she had two young daughters and no clear risk factors. Nonetheless, she embarked on a rigorous treatment plan that initially involved chemotherapy and radiation. Those conventional treatments helped manage her tumors, but the cancer persisted, spreading to her lungs, brain, abdomen, and bowel at various points.

According to oncologist Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD, Sara had RET fusion-positive NSCLC, a type found in about 2% of lung cancer patients. Although she endured toxic side effects—fatigue, hair loss, and nausea—her cancer repeatedly recurred after each medication ceased to work. Then in 2017, just as she faced major surgery to remove much of her intestine, she discovered a new option: a clinical trial testing selpercatinib (LOXO-292).

This investigational drug, administered orally, has minimal side effects compared to her previous treatments. For the past several years, Sara has traveled monthly to Cleveland Clinic to see Dr. Pennell and replenish her supply of LOXO-292. During that time, she has shown no signs of active disease. Now 56, she has witnessed the milestones she once feared missing—her daughter’s high school graduation, the other starting college—and continues to enjoy daily life alongside her husband and children.

Physicians like Dr. Pennell consider these outcomes a breakthrough, suggesting that targeted therapies could transform advanced lung cancer into a chronic condition, rather than a rapid terminal disease. Sara’s experience exemplifies the life-changing possibilities available through clinical trials, offering hope to patients who once faced dire prognoses.