ALK-positive Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma controlled with alectinib despite hemolytic anemia

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

Biomarkers: ALK-positive

At 1 year after starting alectinib, the tumor had not regrown and treatment was continuing intermittently despite persistent mild anemia.

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Small cell lung cancer with dermatomyositis improving after chemo-immunotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+

After treatment began, muscle enzymes fell and his strength, skin symptoms, and overall condition improved.

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Small cell lung cancer with dermatomyositis and fatal immune-related toxicity

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 50s

He died 3 weeks after starting treatment after developing severe skin toxicity thought to be a fatal immune-related adverse event, with possible infection and sepsis.

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

Patient Info: Tim Monds, Male, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: High PD-L1 expression

Metastatic Site: Other lung lobes / lung nodules

As of March 2024, Tim Monds was identified as a Stage IV lung cancer survivor involved in discussion of the PaCES early palliative-care project and broader lung cancer advocacy.

Lung cancer causing severe breathing failure, treated with afatinib in a dialysis patient

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male

Biomarkers: EGFR G719A point mutation in exon 18

Within 1 month of starting afatinib, the tumour shrank and severe respiratory failure resolved. He continued treatment for more than 3 months without severe adverse events.

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EGFR-mutated Stage III lung cancer became undetectable during erlotinib plus dendritic-cell vaccination

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

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation; ALK-negative; PD-L1 <1%

CT showed no detectable lung cancer by day 321, and the disappearance was maintained for at least 587 days without recurrence or metastasis.

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EGFR-mutated stage IV lung cancer complicated by radiation lung injury and severe COVID-19

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

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation; TP53 mutation

Metastatic Site: bone

Osimertinib produced a significant reduction in the lung lesions. She remained alive at the last follow-up in July 2023 after recovering from severe COVID-19 and treatment-related lung complications.

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Lung cancer brain metastasis grew into a pre-existing meningioma

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

Metastatic Site: brain

Six months after lung surgery, a pathologically confirmed brain metastasis developed beside and partly infiltrated a pre-existing meningioma. It was surgically removed, and the patient declined radiochemotherapy afterward.

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Fatal lung-cancer progression after immune-related HLH during nivolumab and ipilimumab

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

Metastatic Site: pleura, lung

The immune-related HLH improved with steroid pulse therapy, but he later died from respiratory failure caused by progression of the lung cancer.

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A primary lung adenocarcinoma that resembled metastatic thyroid cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s

Biomarkers: RET-GOLGA5 fusion

Alive 19 months after resection of the primary lung adenocarcinoma. The remaining miliary lung nodules were attributed to metastatic papillary thyroid cancer.

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Basaloid squamous lung cancer that regressed and later regrew

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+

A lung nodule nearly disappeared without treatment, then regrew 2 years later and was resected as basaloid squamous cell carcinoma.

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ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma with a brain metastasis responding completely to brigatinib

Patient Info: Anonymized, male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EML4-ALK fusion positive

Metastatic Site: pleura, brain

More than 10 years after the original lung-cancer surgery, switching from crizotinib to brigatinib produced a complete response in the brain metastasis, with ongoing treatment.

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ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma with a large brain metastasis responding to brigatinib

Patient Info: Anonymized, female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-positive

Metastatic Site: brain

The approximately 70 mm brain metastasis shrank dramatically within 2 to 5 weeks of brigatinib, allowing transition back to outpatient care.

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Lorlatinib rapidly cleared multiple brain metastases in a 23-year-old with ALK-positive lung cancer

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

Biomarkers: ALK-positive

Metastatic Site: brain, pleura, pericardium

Lorlatinib rapidly cleared the brain metastases and maintained the response for 6 months, but new brain metastases were found in July 2023.

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Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Ivy's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Ivy E., Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation

Metastatic Site: Bone: elbow, cervical spine/neck, rib, pelvis; brain

As of January 2024, Ivy reported no evidence of disease 1 year after right upper lobectomy, after years of response to EGFR-targeted therapy for initially Stage IV lung cancer.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma complicated by immunotherapy-related perimyocarditis

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

Biomarkers: EGFR-negative; ALK-negative; ROS1-negative; PD-L1 <1%

She died from cancer progression 3 months after recovering from immunotherapy-related perimyocarditis.

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Stage IV enteric-type lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutations and MSI-high disease

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M; MSI-high; high tumor mutation burden; MLH1 mutation; pMMR; PD-L1-negative

Metastatic Site: lung, pleura

The cancer progressed through multiple targeted, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy regimens. He died about 30 months after the initial diagnosis.

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Stage IV Lung Cancer: Deborah's Patient Story

Patient Info: Deborah Persinger, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Brain

As of January 2024, Deborah was living actively 13 years after lung cancer diagnosis, with recurrent brain metastases managed through repeated Gamma Knife radiosurgery and ongoing MRI surveillance.

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Stage III small-cell lung cancer had a complete response after chemo-immunotherapy and surgery

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

Surgery showed a pathological complete response, and no recurrence or metastasis was found through 12 months of follow-up.

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Rare lung cancer first discovered as a mass in the skull

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS ; CK7-positive; CDX2-positive; pathology favoured pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma

Metastatic Site: skull base / sphenoid sinus; right posterior acetabulum

He received palliative radiation and prolonged systemic therapy, completing 35 cycles including 31 maintenance cycles of pemetrexed and pembrolizumab.

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Stage I Lung Cancer: Lauren's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lauren Koy, Female, Under 40 | Stage I

Biomarkers: CD56-positive neuroendocrine tumor; no gene mutations reported

As of January 2024, Lauren’s diagnosis had been established and bronchoscopy had reopened the blocked right-lung airway; later definitive treatment or long-term status was not described in this record.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma followed without treatment after chemotherapy and pembrolizumab caused kidney injury

Patient Info: Anonymized, female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver, pleura

After stopping antitumor drugs, follow-up imaging and tumor markers showed no evidence suggesting cancer recurrence.

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Lung squamous cell cancer treated with chemotherapy and nivolumab alongside IgG4-related disease

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+

Biomarkers: PD-L1 TPS 65%

Nivolumab was stopped after disease progression, and he died from progressive lung cancer 17 months later.

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Stage I lung squamous cell carcinoma: surgery and IMRT for localized tracheal recurrence

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

Three months after IMRT, PET-CT and bronchoscopy showed no residual tracheal lesion, no mediastinal lymph-node involvement, and no metastasis; he remained alive in the third year of follow-up with 6-month monitoring.

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