Lung Cancer: 296 Real Stories
296 stories match lung cancer. 140 of them mention targeted therapy.
Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Shauna’s Patient Story
Shauna had just turned 51 when a cough lingered for months after a respiratory illness. During a lunch break, she went to urgent care, where an X-ray showed a mass in her right lung. A needle biopsy and scans followed, including brain MRI, PET, chest CT, and…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Steven’s Patient Story
Steven Huff was 29, newly engaged, and starting a teaching career when shortness of breath, a daily cough, and a lump near his collarbone led to a lung cancer diagnosis. Doctors told him he had Stage IV non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma, with cancer in both…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Adenocarcinoma: Allison’s Patient Story
Allison was an active 45-year-old mother of 2 when back pain that seemed muscular turned into a much larger warning sign. A CT report mentioned possible metastatic lesions in her spine. More testing followed, including chest imaging, MRI, brain imaging, PET…
Read this storyKRAS Lung Cancer: Wyatt’s Patient Story
Wyatt was in his 30s and already had a complex medical history when lung cancer entered his life unexpectedly. He had no obvious lung cancer symptoms and was shocked when cancer was found after dealing with issues related to a long-standing shunt. His doctor…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Clara’s Patient Story
Clara was 24 when symptoms that seemed unrelated slowly pointed to something serious. Hip and back pain were first explained as an L5-S1 herniated disc from running, but the pain around that area later made more sense after doctors found cancer had spread to…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Jenny’s Patient Story
Jenny’s story is remembered through her husband, Kyle, who describes her as a loving mother, partner, and advocate for lung cancer awareness. Her lung cancer stage, subtype, biomarker results, and specific drug names were not stated, but her care was intense…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Wyatt’s Patient Story
Wyatt was 33 when worsening migraines led to an unexpected Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. He had been born with hydrocephalus and had a shunt, so the early symptoms were treated as a neurologic problem. The headaches became debilitating, lasting 1 to 2 weeks…
Read this storyStage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer: Kristen’s Patient Story
Kristen was an active nurse in her 40s who loved tennis when shortness of breath and right-sided pain led to a small cell lung cancer diagnosis in January 2025. Because she had a long-standing heart condition and a pacemaker, she first wondered whether the…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Kathrin’s Patient Story
Kathrin was a fitness professional living in Munich when fatigue and foot pain began to interrupt an active life. At first, the foot pain seemed like a sports injury from yoga or exercise. Imaging of the left foot showed a tumor, and biopsy revealed that it…
Read this storyStage II EGFR Lung Cancer: Samantha’s Patient Story
Samantha Vaughn first noticed breathlessness and hoarseness after having COVID in 2022. For about 6 months, the symptoms were treated as long COVID, sinus problems, or infection, with inhalers, steroids, and antibiotics that did not help. In May 2023, she…
Read this storyStage III Lung Cancer: Alexis’s Survivor Story
Alexis was 29 and living in San Francisco when a possible heart issue led to the discovery of lung cancer. She had noticed shortness of breath and chest discomfort but thought anxiety might explain it. Because her father had been misdiagnosed with a genetic…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jenny’s Patient Story
Jenny Apple was a healthy nonsmoker, wife, and mother whose first major symptom was persistent pain on the left side of her ribs. During the COVID period, getting care was difficult, and the pain was initially dismissed as strain from lifting her young child…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Alisa’s Patient Story
Alisa Secaida was 35 when cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest tightness and shoulder pain were dismissed as asthma or long COVID. She paid for her own CT scan, which showed a mass in the upper left lung, and later biopsy confirmed Stage IVB non-small…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Natasha’s Patient Story
Natasha, a primary school teacher from Yorkshire, England, was diagnosed with EGFR-positive lung cancer in January 2023 after months of cough, hoarse voice, and squeaky breathing. She was active and had never expected lung cancer, especially as a nonsmoker…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Leah’s Patient Story
Leah Phillips, co-founder of the Young Lung Cancer Initiative, was diagnosed in December 2019 with Stage IV lung cancer carrying an EGFR exon 19 deletion. At diagnosis, her primary tumor was in the right middle lobe of the lung, and she had 13 bone metastases…
Read this storyStage IV ROS1 Lung Adenocarcinoma: Luna’s Patient Story
Luna Okada was 54 when she was diagnosed in December 2012 with Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma. She had just returned from climbing Machu Picchu and had no cough or shortness of breath. Two days after the trip, severe abdominal pain brought her to the emergency…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Lung Cancer: Rosemary’s Patient Story
Rosemary Conway was 60 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2017 after developing a raspy voice and coughing up a small amount of blood. She had never smoked and was an active runner. In September, surgeons removed the lower lobe of her left lung…
Read this storyNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Donnita’s Survivor Story
Donnita was diagnosed at 68 with Stage IA2 non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma even though she had no symptoms. Years earlier, she had asked for a low-dose lung cancer screening CT because of her smoking history and family history. After a 5-year gap during…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story
Jeff had already survived an unusual cancer experience before his lung cancer diagnosis. In 2017, a painful cervical spine mass was first treated as a likely non-cancerous schwannoma, but surgery showed cancer and could not remove everything safely because of…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Sydney’s Patient Story
Sydney Barned was 33 and completing her internal medicine residency when she was diagnosed with Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer in 2017. She had always been active, including ballet, track, swimming, and 5K runs, so the first sign was subtle but…
Read this storySmall Cell Lung Cancer: Brian’s Patient Story
Brian was 40 when he was diagnosed with limited-stage small cell lung cancer in December 2024. The path to diagnosis began after an unusual fall at work, where he broke his hand and injured his shoulder. As he recovered, pain persisted in his shoulder and…
Read this storyStage III Small Cell Lung Cancer: Brian’s Patient Story
Brian was recently diagnosed with Stage III small cell lung cancer after an accident that first seemed unrelated to cancer. He fell at work while dragging something heavy, breaking his hand and injuring his shoulder and face. Because of pain near his shoulder…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Calvin’s Survivor Story
Calvin was 33 when he was diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer after years of breathing problems that had been treated as adult asthma. The pattern began around 2016, after he became very sick during work travel to Germany and was treated for pneumonia. Over…
Read this storyStage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Eugenia’s Patient Story
Eugenia Horan was 46 when she was diagnosed with poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancer. Her symptoms began after what seemed like a cold or flu in late 2018, followed by chest tightness, coughing blood, weight loss, and a racing pulse. Her concerns…
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