Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer: 115 Real Stories

115 stories match lung cancer and chemotherapy. 60 of them mention radiation.

  1. Lung Cancer: Liz’s Survivor Story

    Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Liz was 43 when symptoms that seemed unrelated to her lungs led to a cancer diagnosis. In late 2014 and January 2015, she had heavy, painful legs and swollen ankles. Blood tests showed a clear drop in red blood cells. Because her doctor was worried about a…

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  2. EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Donna’s Patient Story

    EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Donna Thompson was 45 when an emergency-room visit for high blood sugar unexpectedly revealed a lung mass. She had no smoking history, so lung cancer seemed unlikely to everyone around her, but scans and biopsy confirmed Stage II non-small cell lung cancer…

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  3. Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Usha’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Immunotherapy

    Usha Jain, a retired UC Berkeley professor, was diagnosed in July 2018 with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer despite having no smoking history. Her daughter, Amita Jain, was both a physician and caregiver, yet still found the lung cancer decision-making…

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  4. Stage IV HER2-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Glenna’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · HER2 Mutation · Chemotherapy · Enhertu

    Glenna’s lung cancer story began in December 2022 with a nagging cough. She was not especially worried at first because she already had a silent reflux diagnosis, but by March the cough had worsened. Medication changes and a reflux referral did not solve the…

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  5. Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lexi’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Lexi was 39 when she introduced herself as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and someone living with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Her symptoms had started about 2 years earlier with left shoulder pain, weight loss, and then severe pain in her…

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  6. Stage III EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lauren’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · Fertility Preservation

    Lauren was 38 and celebrating her first year as a mother when she began training for a half marathon and noticed what felt like a pulled muscle in her neck. An initial X-ray was explained as a possible old injury, but Lauren did not feel that answer fit, so…

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  7. EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Joanne’s Patient Story

    EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · osimertinib

    Joanne’s lung cancer was found by chance in February 2021. She had gone to the emergency room because of what seemed like an abdominal hernia or aneurysm, and an angio CT scan instead showed a mass in the upper lobe of her right lung. She had not had classic…

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  8. Stage III ROS1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Wendy’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · ROS1 Positive · Chemotherapy · cisplatin

    Wendy’s lung cancer was found after she pushed for imaging that her doctor initially thought was unnecessary. Months earlier, she had noticed odd sensations in her lungs when she laughed, but reflux was suspected. A benign breast lump later scared her enough…

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  9. Stage IV Lung Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Rare Mutation · Chemotherapy · Surgery

    Karen was 47 when sharp back and shoulder pain sent her to the emergency room during a blizzard. She had never smoked, had no family history, and considered herself healthy, so the discovery of a large lung tumor was a shock. Karen was initially diagnosed…

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  10. Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Laura’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · alectinib · Chemotherapy

    Laura Greco’s lung cancer record needs a major subtype correction: this was lung cancer, not colon cancer. Her initial diagnosis in 2015 was Stage IIIA non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer driven by an ALK translocation. Initial treatment included 2…

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  11. Stage IV Lung Cancer: Mila’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Cryotherapy

    Mila Gardon Labor, a 58-year-old woman from the Philippines, was first found to have a lung lump during a yearly health exam. It was initially misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis, and she took tuberculosis treatment for 4 months before CT scan and biopsy…

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  12. Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Linnea’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · ALK Positive · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Linnea Olson was 45 when she was first diagnosed with lung cancer. Her initial diagnosis was Stage I, and she had surgery that removed most of her left lung, followed by chemotherapy. The first scan after chemotherapy showed something back in her lungs…

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  13. Stage III Lung Adenocarcinoma: Becky’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Becky Manning was a 47-year-old active working mother who had never smoked when months of chest pain, cough and abnormal imaging finally led to a lung cancer diagnosis. Her symptoms were first treated as pneumonia, then other causes were considered, but she…

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  14. Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Shannon’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Shannon was 35 when a cough lingered for about 1.5 months, followed by severe neck pain that did not respond to repeated muscle relaxers. The pain reached 7 or 8 out of 10, limited her ability to turn her head or pick up her children, and continued through…

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  15. Small Cell Lung Cancer: Montessa’s Survivor Story

    carboplatin · Chemotherapy

    Montessa was 28, a non-smoker, and working as a mentor teacher when symptoms that first seemed like inflammation or bronchitis turned into a small cell lung cancer diagnosis. She had chest pain, a lingering cough, back pain, and eventually oxygen levels…

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  16. Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Heidi’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · cisplatin

    Heidi was 55, a fitness trainer, and a lifelong health enthusiast when lung cancer was found by accident. In October 2018, she had a CT scan during evaluation of a mildly suspicious ovarian cyst. The ovary was benign, but the chest CT showed a lung mass and…

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  17. Stage III Lung Cancer: Peter’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Peter was 80 and felt well when he joined the NHS Galleri trial. He had spent 31 years in the police force, stayed active, and had never smoked. After a blood test through the trial, he received a call saying something in his lung needed investigation. MRI…

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  18. Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jill’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Driver Mutation · Chemotherapy · Targeted Therapy

    Jill already knew the fear of lung cancer before her own diagnosis. Her father died at 41, only 3 months after being diagnosed, and her mother died at 54, 6 months after her diagnosis. Because of that family history, Jill had periodic CT scans even though she…

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  19. Stage II KRAS Lung Adenocarcinoma: Roy’s Survivor Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · cisplatin

    Roy was a 50-year-old commercial airline pilot and Air Force veteran when he noticed a subtle rattle in his chest while lying down at night. An early X-ray was interpreted as something like pneumonia, and because he was a nonsmoker with no family history of…

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  20. Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Jake’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · ALK Positive · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Jake was 15 when severe migraines began in late 2012. For about 25 days, he hid the pain, took large amounts of Advil, and kept playing sports until his mother pushed for an MRI. The scan showed a golf-ball-sized tumor in his cerebellum. After brain surgery…

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  21. Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Susie’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · Radiation

    Susie started smoking as a teenager because it was what many of her friends did. She tried to give up several times over the years but found it difficult. Later, she developed lung cancer that she directly linked to smoking. The title identifies her diagnosis…

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  22. Stage II Lung Cancer: Michelle’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · Fertility Preservation

    Michelle’s lung cancer was found while doctors were investigating a completely different problem. After a fall, she developed persistent pain that moved into her jaw, head, and neck and caused migraine-like symptoms. Months of physical therapy, pain…

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  23. Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Kelsey’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · ALK Positive · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    Kelsey was 36, a mother of 4, and working as a SoulCycle manager when severe back pain began changing her life. At first, she blamed work, commuting, aging, or a pulled muscle. Then she collapsed while coaching baseball and later had to crawl to the bathroom…

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  24. Stage II EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Daniel’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · EGFR Mutation · Chemotherapy · lobectomy

    Daniel West had no symptoms before a routine heart scan in October 2022 showed 2 nodules in his right lung. A bronchoscopy biopsy confirmed early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Daniel, who had quit smoking in 2006, sought a second opinion at UT MD Anderson…

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