Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Steve's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Steve Slack, Male, 40s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver

As of June 2024, about 6 months after living-donor liver transplant, Steve had a clear surveillance scan and described himself as NED/no evidence of disease.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Lisa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lisa Ordmandy, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Spine/bone: C2 and L3 vertebrae

As of June 2024, Lisa was living with metastatic breast cancer as a chronic illness, had recovered mobility after November 2023 spine surgery, continued close MD Anderson monitoring, and was being evaluated for possible clinical trials.

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Treatment-related lung injury during therapy for Stage IV squamous lung cancer

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

A 63-year-old man with Stage IV squamous lung cancer developed interstitial lung disease soon after starting chemotherapy and immunotherapy, with respiratory findings improving after steroid treatment.

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Stage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Sophie, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: BRAF-mutated; MSI / microsatellite instability

Metastatic Site: liver; lymph nodes including neck

As of June 2024, Sophie had been off treatment for nearly 3 years and described herself as currently cancer-free after surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and liver surgery showing no cancer cells.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Amy's Patient Story

Patient Info: Amy Nicole, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver; lymph nodes near kidneys/retroperitoneal lymph…

As of June 2024, Amy was living with recurrent Stage IV colon cancer and was on an immunotherapy clinical trial that improved quality of life compared with chemotherapy, though she did not describe remission or NED.

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EGFR-mutated lung cancer treated with osimertinib during tuberculosis therapy

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M mutation

Metastatic Site: pleura, left axillary lymph node

Osimertinib maintained a partial response throughout 9 months of tuberculosis treatment, with no new abdominal or brain lesions. By the end of tuberculosis treatment, she was more than 7 years from her original lung-cancer diagnosis.

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EGFR-mutated lung cancer with later small-cell transformation

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

Biomarkers: EGFR L858R mutation; acquired EGFR T790M mutation

Metastatic Site: pleura/chest wall, ribs, brain, meninges,…

Disease progressed through multiple lines of therapy with brain and meningeal involvement. He died in September 2021, more than 9 years after his original 2012 diagnosis.

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More than five years with EGFR-mutated lung cancer and untreated brain metastases

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

Biomarkers: EGFR L858R mutation; acquired EGFR T790M mutation

Metastatic Site: brain, pleura

Zorifertinib produced partial responses in both brain and extracranial disease, with 3 years of progression-free survival and more than 4 years of intracranial control. By December 2023, she remained alive on aumolertinib with overall survival of more than 65 months, or 5+ years, from treatment start.

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Rectal Cancer Relapse With a Rare Kidney Metastasis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver; peritoneum; right kidney

After earlier treatment and a hepatectomy, imaging showed recurrent rectal disease with pelvic and peritoneal involvement and a new right kidney metastasis.

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MET-Positive Metastatic Lung Cancer That First Appeared as a Breast Mass

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

Biomarkers: MET exon 14 skipping mutation; acquired MET and resistance mutations

Metastatic Site: breast, liver, right adrenal gland

Capmatinib produced a marked response across most disease sites at 3 months, but a right adrenal metastasis progressed by 6 months while other sites continued responding.

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Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jessica's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Jessica Dazzler, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: FoundationOne testing performed; exact mutation not stated

Metastatic Site: lungs, spine, rib

As of May 2024, Jessica said it took 3 years and 4 months to reach no evidence of disease after Stage IV colorectal cancer, though she remained anxious about future scans and possible circulating cancer.

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Stage IV pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma with an ALK fusion responding to targeted therapy

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

Biomarkers: EML4-ALK fusion; PD-L1 <1%

Metastatic Site: liver

By December 2023, oral ALK-targeted therapy was ongoing with a partial response, improved symptoms, weight gain, and marked shrinkage of lung and metastatic disease.

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Stage IVA lung adenocarcinoma with solitary brain metastasis: pCR after brain surgery, chemoradiation, immunotherapy, and lobectomy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 75%; negative for driver gene mutations and translocations

Metastatic Site: brain

As of May 2024, he had no recurrence after brain metastasis resection and radiation, carboplatin/pemetrexed/atezolizumab, robot-assisted right upper lobectomy with pathologic complete response, and 13 cycles of maintenance atezolizumab.

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Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma presenting as a pituitary mass

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

Biomarkers: Lung adenocarcinoma with ERBB2 plus other mutations, PD-L1 TPS 1%

Metastatic Site: pituitary gland

As of May 2024, metastatic lung adenocarcinoma to the pituitary/sellar region had been diagnosed pathologically; systemic treatment, recurrence status, and longer follow-up were not described.

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BRCA2-mutant metastatic breast cancer: complete response with rucaparib maintenance

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

Biomarkers: Germline BRCA2 mutation; somatic BRCA2 mutation; HER2 amplification not seen by FISH; grade III IDC

Metastatic Site: bone

She maintained a complete response for 2 years on rucaparib, letrozole, and zoledronic acid after upfront metastatic BRCA2-mutated breast cancer involving bone, axillary nodes, and right-breast nodules.

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Stage 4 breast cancer: hip reconstruction preserves mobility

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

Metastatic Site: bone (right acetabulum/pelvis: ilium, ischium,…

As of May 2024, 2 years after reconstruction for metastatic breast cancer involving the right acetabulum/pelvis, she had no recurrence of hip pain and had returned to baseline function; overall systemic cancer response was not reported.

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Stage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Melissa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Melissa Adams, Female | Stage IV

Melissa’s breast cancer progressed after maintenance hormone therapy and was reassigned as Stage IV. She describes living with incurable disease while focusing on keeping the cancer at bay and staying engaged with family, church, and advocacy.

Stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma: complete response on immunotherapy combination

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: No targetable mutation found. Tissue showed TP53/ARID1A; liquid biopsy added KEAP1, and SMARCA4. PD-L1 not evaluable.

Metastatic Site: bilateral lung nodules, left adrenal gland

As of May 2024, metastatic lung adenocarcinoma had a complete radiologic response lasting more than 14 months on pembrolizumab maintenance, and a new PET-avid lung nodule was benign inflammation rather than cancer.

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Small cell lung cancer with SIADH that progressed after an initial response to treatment

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

Metastatic Site: liver

The cancer progressed with disseminated liver metastases, and she died from liver failure in February 2021.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with brain metastases and an aortic blood clot

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

Biomarkers: KRAS ; EIF1AZ mutation; PD-L1 30%

Metastatic Site: brain

She remained in active care after whole-brain radiation, with systemic chemo-immunotherapy planned for Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma.

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Kristie Reimann

Patient Info: Kristie Reimann, 40s | Stage IV

Nine years after a Stage IV diagnosis, Kristie remained on treatment every 2 to 3 weeks and described continuing to live an active life with an ostomy.

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Stage 4 lung cancer stable on durvalumab immunotherapy

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

Metastatic Site: brain, pancreas, liver

Stage IV small cell lung cancer remained stable after durvalumab, platinum chemotherapy, radiation, and 1 year of durvalumab monotherapy; severe right sternoclavicular joint arthritis resolved after infliximab, and immunotherapy was suspended for 1 year.

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Stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma: brain surgery followed by immunotherapy response

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1-positive; EGFR wild-type/no mutation; ALK rearrangement not detected; TTF-1-positive; Napsin A-positive

Metastatic Site: brain

As of March 2024, after 31 cycles of zimberelimab, the lung lesion had shown partial response, brain metastasis had not recurred, and the patient had 24-month progression-free and intracranial recurrence-free survival with normal quality of life.

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Lung cancer treated with targeted therapy: rare blood vessel inflammation as a side effect

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: BRAF mutation

Metastatic Site: pleura

She initially achieved a complete response. After vasculitis treatment, targeted therapy continued and a partial lung-cancer response remained maintained without vasculitis recurrence.

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