Durvalumab for Lung Cancer: 21 Real Stories

21 stories match lung cancer and durvalumab. 15 of them mention radiation.

Cancer Stories

A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage III Lung Squamous Cell CarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IIIB lung cancer: heart inflammation from durvalumab immunotherapy, mistaken at first for tumor spreading to the heart

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

Biomarkers: No actionable driver mutations identified; PD-L1 tumor proportion score <1%

She recovered cardiac function after treatment for durvalumab-associated myocarditis and remained without lung-cancer relapse or cardiac decline for more than 4 years, with no additional anticancer therapy.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: multi-line treatment complicated by glucocorticoid-refractory immune-related cystitis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

Biomarkers: No molecular biomarkers reported for SCLC. Bladder biopsy during cystitis showed mostly CD3/CD8-positive T-cell inflammation.

As of December 2025, the cancer had progressed through multiple systemic lines, new brain metastasis had appeared, and care had shifted to palliative symptomatic treatment; immune-related cystitis had resolved after prednisone plus mycophenolate mofetil.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSetback / Progression
Heidi, who was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Heidi's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Heidi N., Female, 50s | Stage III

Biomarkers: No targetable mutation identified

As of June 2026, Heidi was featured as a lung cancer advocate after treatment for inoperable Stage IIIA NSCLC; scans through January 2021 had shown no evidence of disease.

The Patient Story
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Recurrent squamous lung cancer with tumor emboli, acute limb ischemia, brain metastases, and death

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: p40-positive; TTF-1-negative; PD-L1 not expressed / no PD-L1 reported in raw case

Metastatic Site: brain/cerebral metastases; tumor emboli in upper and…

The patient developed recurrent acute limb ischemia from tumor emboli, then new cerebral metastases, and died from advanced disease 7 months after the bilateral lower-limb ischemia presentation.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Kidney damage as a rare side effect of durvalumab immunotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+

The lung-cancer burden decreased during treatment. Durvalumab was stopped because of nephrotic syndrome, which achieved sustained complete remission with prednisolone.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage IVA lung cancer with small-cell and adenocarcinoma components: mixed response before infection halted treatment

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 <1%

Metastatic Site: bone (C2, T10, sacral vertebrae); malignant pleural…

The lung cancer showed mixed responses, with right-lung small-cell progression after chemotherapy/immunotherapy and later treatment interruption because of severe lung infection and respiratory failure.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSetback / Progression
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Lung Adenocarcinoma That Transformed to Small Cell Cancer After Recurrence

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 1%-24%; no druggable driver alteration identified

Metastatic Site: brain, liver

After treatment for the small-cell-transformed recurrence, the liver metastases showed sustained regression and progression-free survival had reached 13 months by September 2024.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Small Cell Lung Cancer With Paraneoplastic Cushing Syndrome Treated With Immunochemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 negative; low tumor mutation burden; microsatellite stable

Metastatic Site: liver, abdominal wall, left ilium

He lived 20 months after diagnosis. After repeated treatment responses and later progression, he died in September 2023 from respiratory and cardiac failure during a severe infection following treatment-related myelosuppression.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage 3C lung cancer: complete remission on immunotherapy and chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: EGFR wild-type; ALK rearrangement not detected; PD-L1 <1%

Complete tumor remission with no recurrence more than 6 months after durvalumab, tremelimumab, carboplatin, and nab-paclitaxel for Stage IIIC driver-negative NSCLC, despite severe immune, infectious, cardiac, renal, and fistula complications that later resolved or stabilized.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage 4 small-cell lung cancer: complete response on durvalumab

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

Metastatic Site: pericardial effusion; left supraclavicular lymph node

As of July 2024, she had clinical complete response after chemoimmunotherapy and chest radiation, improving immune-related bone changes, and ongoing durvalumab maintenance every 4 weeks.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
Att, who was diagnosed with Stage II Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage II Lung Cancer: Att's Patient Story

Patient Info: Att Callahan, Female, 70+ | Stage II

As of July 2024, Att was receiving monthly post-surgery immunotherapy and scans every other month after clinical-trial chemoimmunotherapy and lobectomy, with doctors believing they had removed all visible cancer.

MD Anderson
OutcomeCare Ongoing
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage 3 lung cancer: complete response to chemo and immunotherapy

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

Biomarkers: Tumor markers were normal during mesorectal nodule workup; lung molecular biomarkers were not reported.

No radiologic NSCLC recurrence was detected during 16 months of follow-up after complete response to cisplatin/docetaxel chemoradiation plus 1 year of durvalumab; the suspicious mesorectal nodule proved to be a benign organized thrombus.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

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.

PubMed Central
OutcomeLiving With Cancer