Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Anne's Patient Story

Patient Info: Anne Keane, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: bones, liver

Anne had an extraordinary response to first-line treatment for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer and remained on the same HER2-targeted therapy for 6 years.

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Stage IV KRAS Lung Cancer: Rosemary's Patient Story

Patient Info: Rosemary Conway, female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS mutation

After 14 months on daraxonracib in a clinical trial, Rosemary’s Stage IV lung cancer had stopped growing and she had returned to walking and lifting weights.

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Shannin: Stage IV Colorectal Cancer

Patient Info: Shannin, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Tumor-marker testing used to select immunotherapy

Metastatic Site: Liver

As of March 2025, Shannin was living with Stage IV colon cancer with cancer remaining in the liver while receiving chemotherapy and tumor-marker-matched immunotherapy.

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EML4-ALK lung cancer: complete remission on alectinib for 4 years

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EML4-ALK fusion

Metastatic Site: brain

Alectinib produced complete remission for nearly 4 years; after grade 3 colitis/ulcers, she switched to ceritinib and maintained stable tumor control without recurrent intestinal ulcers or colitis.

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Extended-stage small cell lung cancer with breast metastasis: complete response after pembrolizumab

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: TMB-high, microsatellite stable; TP53/PTEN mutations, and SOX2/PIK3CA/FGF12 amplifications.

Metastatic Site: breast

As of March 2025, she had maintained complete response for more than 18 months on pembrolizumab monotherapy after prior cisplatin/irinotecan response.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Shannin's Patient Story

Patient Info: Shannin, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Genetic testing negative; tumor-marker match for immunotherapy reported, exact marker not stated

Metastatic Site: liver; ovaries; peritoneum

Shannin has palliative Stage IV metastatic colorectal cancer with liver, ovarian, and peritoneal involvement. As of March 2025, she was continuing chemotherapy plus immunotherapy, had responded enough to keep treatment going, but still needed liver-directed options and did not qualify for a Canadian liver-pump trial.

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Tamara: Stage IV Colorectal Cancer

Patient Info: Tamara, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: APC mutation; familial adenomatous polyposis

Metastatic Site: Liver | Lungs

As of March 2025, Tamara was living with Stage IV FAP-associated colon cancer involving the liver and lungs after completing 12 cycles of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Tamara's Patient Story

Patient Info: Tamara, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: FAP / APC mutation; reported de novo APC mutation

Metastatic Site: liver; lungs; retroperitoneal area reported initially

Tamara has Stage IV FAP/APC-associated colon cancer with liver and lung metastases. After chemotherapy plus immunotherapy, her numbers dropped sharply, lung disease cleared, and liver disease shrank but remained active; as of March 2025, she was continuing maintenance treatment.

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EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma That Transformed to Small Cell Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion

Metastatic Site: brain, adrenal gland, liver, thyroid

The cancer progressed after small-cell transformation with adrenal, thyroid, liver and brain involvement, and she died 52.7 months after the original diagnosis from disease progression and organ failure.

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Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jeff's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jeff, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR-positive; exon 19 mentioned

Metastatic Site: brain; bones — ribs, femur/hip, clavicle

Jeff has Stage IV EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer with brain and bone metastases. Biomarker testing changed the plan from radiation/chemotherapy toward Tagrisso targeted therapy. As of March 2025, he was living with metastatic lung cancer and emphasizing hope and self-advocacy.

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EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma That Transformed to Small Cell Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M mutation

Metastatic Site: liver

The cancer progressed after transformation to small cell lung cancer, and she died 49 months after the original diagnosis.

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Metastatic Lung Cancer With Pulmonary Embolism, Cardiac Tamponade, and Recurrent Stroke

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: leptomeninges

After the lung cancer was diagnosed, she developed leptomeningeal metastases and recurrent ischemic strokes and died the following month.

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Etoposide Desensitization After Cardiac Arrest in Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: brain

After later tumor progression and further systemic treatment, she died in September 2021 from multifactorial progressive leukoencephalopathy, meningopyoventriculitis, and brain atrophy.

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HER2 exon 20 metastatic lung adenocarcinoma with pathologic complete response after chemoimmunotherapy and surgery

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2 exon 20 insertion lung adenocarcinoma with TP53 mutation, PD-L1 TPS 50%, and low TMB.

Metastatic Site: contralateral lung

Right lower lobectomy with radical lymphadenectomy in November 2023 showed pathologic complete response, and no additional therapy was offered after surgery.

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Stage 4 lung cancer: managing pembrolizumab-induced myasthenia gravis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody elevated; TSH elevated during immune-related adverse event workup; cancer biomarkers not reported

At 9 months after the immune-related myasthenia gravis presentation, lung cancer remained in complete response while she continued low-dose prednisolone, pyridostigmine, levothyroxine, and nighttime NIV.

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Stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma with RET fusion responding to pralsetinib

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: RET fusion

Metastatic Site: pleura

As of March 2025, he had recovered from grade 3 Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, restarted pralsetinib, and had no progressive disease or recurrence of adverse events over 13 months.

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Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Sydney's Patient Story

Patient Info: Sydney Barned, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-rearranged

Metastatic Site: brain

Living with Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer. She had about 5.5 years of disease control on her first targeted therapy, then developed 3 brain metastases in September 2022 and switched to another targeted therapy. As of February 2025, she was working full-time and continuing treatment.

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Stage 4 RET-rearranged lung cancer: complete pathologic response to pralsetinib

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KIF5B-RET rearrangement; TP53 missense mutation; PD-L1-negative; CK7-positive; TTF-1-positive; Ki-67 70%

Metastatic Site: pleura, mediastinal lymph nodes, hilar lymph nodes

After pralsetinib response and surgery, pathology showed no residual viable tumor in the lung primary, pleural nodules, or sampled lymph nodes; she continued adjuvant pralsetinib.

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Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Maggie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Maggie, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: lungs, lymph nodes; possible liver

Diagnosed in 2022 with de novo Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer involving the lungs and lymph nodes, with possible liver involvement. After entering a chemotherapy/immunotherapy clinical trial, she reported being cancer-free / no evidence of disease for well over 1 year as of February 2025.

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Stage 4 small cell lung cancer with paraneoplastic neurological syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Paraneoplastic antibody panel positive for anti-Hu, anti-AMPH, anti-Ri

Metastatic Site: left axillary lymph nodes

Over 2 years of follow-up, CT showed stable complete response, tumor markers stayed normal, no new metastases appeared, and neurological symptoms did not worsen.

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Fatal Multiorgan Failure After Pembrolizumab-Based Treatment for Metastatic Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female | Stage IV

She died less than 12 hours after hospital presentation with rapidly progressive multiorgan failure one week after the first pembrolizumab-based treatment cycle; immune-related toxicity was strongly suspected, although the rapid decline limited full evaluation.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Returning About 20 Years After Initial Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-negative, HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: bones

About 20 years after her original breast-cancer treatment and sustained remission, bone biopsy confirmed metastatic recurrence; she became too unwell for planned cancer therapy and chose supportive care.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Evan's Patient Story

Patient Info: Evan White, Male, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: lungs

After 1 year with no evidence of disease, Evan developed colorectal recurrence and later lung metastases; he died in October 2021 after about 4 years with cancer.

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Lung Adenocarcinoma With Rare Skin Metastasis to the Neck

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: neck skin

The lung cancer later spread to the neck skin, and he died during the following year after stopping further treatment.

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