PD-L1 Positive Lung Cancer: 21 Real Stories

Stage IV Lung Adenocarcinoma Discovered After Cancer Cells Were Found in a Stroke Clot

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high; no actionable driver alteration

Metastatic Site: brain

New frontal brain metastases developed during treatment, and he died 51 days after the stroke that led to discovery of his lung cancer.

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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.

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Stage IV pleomorphic lung cancer complicated by esophageal invasion and severe infection

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

Biomarkers: BRAF ; PD-L1 high

Metastatic Site: pleura|peritoneum|bone

He died 21 days after admission from respiratory failure caused by advanced lung cancer complicated by severe infection and aspiration.

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ALK-rearranged Stage IVA lung adenocarcinoma: partial response to pembrolizumab as eighth-line treatment

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

Biomarkers: ALK strongly positive by IHC 3+; ALK rearrangement confirmed by FISH; PD-L1 expression 95% by 22C3 immunostaining; CEA 2.3 ng/mL at diagnosis

Metastatic Site: brain

Nine months after pembrolizumab was started as eighth-line therapy, he maintained a partial response after prior progression on multiple ALK inhibitors and chemotherapies.

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Stage IIIA squamous lung cancer with pathologic complete response after immunochemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 TPS 90%; PD-L1 CPS 100%; EGFR p.G719S 24.9%; EGFR p.S768I 24.6%; TP53 p.S183* 7.2%; TMB 0.0 Muts/Mb

Systematic imaging in March 2025 showed no recurrence or metastasis, with postoperative disease-free survival longer than 30 months and overall survival longer than 34 months.

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Aggressive Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Tumor Extension Into the Heart

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 50s

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high

The cancer progressed rapidly despite treatment, and he died 3 months after diagnosis and 2 months after starting chemotherapy and pembrolizumab.

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Stage I Pleomorphic Lung Cancer Recurring With Bone Metastasis Within Five Months

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high; no detected driver mutation

Metastatic Site: bone

PET-CT in December 2024 showed a partial response. As of February 2025, he remained on sintilimab and bevacizumab maintenance with about 9 months of progression-free survival after recurrence treatment.

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Stage IIB squamous cell lung cancer: pathological complete response after chemo-immunotherapy and surgery

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 >85%; P40-positive; TTF-1-negative; CEA 1.2 ng/mL; cytokeratin 19 fragments 1.7 ng/mL; pro-gastrin-releasing peptide 54 pg/mL

No recurrence for 1 year and 7 months without further treatment after transbronchoscopic resection, pembrolizumab-based chemoimmunotherapy, pneumonitis management, and sleeve resection showing pathological complete response.

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Stage III Lung Adenocarcinoma Treated With Complex Lung-Sparing Surgery and Adjuvant Therapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high expression

Follow-up through 3 years after surgery showed no recurrence or metastasis, with stable lung function and unrestricted physical activity.

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Stage 4 lung cancer: stable disease on immunotherapy combination

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

Biomarkers: TP53, and MSH2 mutations; PD-L1 locally positive; Ki-67 20%; ALK negative. Markers otherwise supported lung cancer.

Metastatic Site: left atrium, right adrenal gland, skull; hilar and…

Stage IVB NSCLC remained clinically stable during carboplatin, pemetrexed, and tislelizumab, but treatment was stopped because of financial and psychological burden; later cancer status was not reported.

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Stage IIIA EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma: surgery after osimertinib

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s

Biomarkers: EGFR E746_A750 deletion; PD-L1 TPS 15%; TMB 5.01 Muts/Mb; TTF-1 3+; CK7 3+; Ki67 60%

As of July 2024, surveillance CT scans at 2, 6, and 12 months after surgery showed no recurrent malignancy while he continued adjuvant osimertinib.

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Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lenny's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Lenny, Male, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 expression positive

Metastatic Site: right femur; brain/cerebellum

As of July 2024, Lenny described himself as NED/no evidence of disease after surgery, CyberKnife radiation, chemotherapy, and Keytruda-based immunotherapy.

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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.

Immunotherapy and surgery for adenosquamous lung cancer with brain metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: PD-L1 positive; no actionable mutations on next-generation sequencing.

After chemotherapy, 19 cycles of pembrolizumab, and right middle lobectomy, she was off immunotherapy and under observation in remission.

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Pleomorphic Lung Cancer Progressed Despite Pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: EGFR-negative; ALK-negative; ROS1-negative; PD-L1 TPS 80%-90%.

Metastatic Site: small intestine; pleura; abdominal subcutaneous tissue

The cancer did not respond to pembrolizumab, and he died four months after immunotherapy began.

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Strong Response to Pembrolizumab-Based Therapy for Pleomorphic Lung Cancer

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

Biomarkers: EGFR-negative; ALK-negative; ROS1-negative; PD-L1 TPS 90%-100%.

A marked response followed four combination cycles, and maintenance pembrolizumab remained ongoing seven months after treatment began.

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Pembrolizumab Controlled Metastatic Pleomorphic Lung Cancer After Chemotherapy Failed

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

Biomarkers: EGFR-negative; ALK-negative; ROS1-negative; BRAF-negative; PD-L1 TPS 60%-70%; BRCA2, and TP53 mutations; tumor mutation burden 42 mutations/Mb; no actionable alteration.

Metastatic Site: right adrenal gland; left adrenal gland; bone

Tumor diameter had decreased at 11 months, and pembrolizumab remained ongoing at 12 months.

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Lung Cancer Metastases to Both Kidneys Causing Kidney Failure

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: PD-L1 highly expressed

Metastatic Site: brain|bilateral kidneys|lungs

The cancer progressed in both kidneys and lungs despite treatment, causing dialysis-dependent kidney failure. He later developed severe respiratory illness and died 5 days after readmission.

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Lung cancer remission after pembrolizumab despite severe inflammatory arthritis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: PD-L1-positive.

Metastatic Site: brain (temporal and parietal lobes)

The lung adenocarcinoma remained in complete remission 28 months after diagnosis, while the treatment-related arthritis also reached sustained remission and he returned to work and exercise.

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Multifocal stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma responding to nivolumab

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

Biomarkers: CK7-positive; TTF-1-positive; napsin-A-positive; PD-L1 85% positive.

The biopsied lung nodule nearly resolved after four nivolumab cycles, and the remaining pulmonary nodules were stable at 24 months.

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Durable brain and leptomeningeal response to pembrolizumab in Stage IV lung cancer

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high positive; EGFR negative; BRAF negative; KRAS negative; ROS1 negative; ALK negative

Metastatic Site: right adrenal gland, left sixth rib, brain,…

After 29 pembrolizumab cycles over 20 months, imaging showed no leptomeningeal disease, resolution of 3 brain lesions and marked reduction of the dominant frontal lesion; she remained neurologically intact and radiographically stable.

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