Pembrolizumab for Lung Cancer: 98 Real Stories

98 stories match lung cancer and pembrolizumab. 94 of them mention immunotherapy.

Cancer Stories

Joanne, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage IV Lung Cancer: Joanne's Patient Story

Patient Info: Joanne Sabol, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: abdomen

More than 2 years after starting pembrolizumab for recurrent Stage IV lung cancer, Joanne had an 81% tumor reduction and continued to feel well while remaining on treatment.

Memorial Sloan Kettering
OutcomeResponding Well
Amy, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

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

Patient Info: Amy, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Neck lymph node; bones — hips, femurs, foot; adrenal…

Living 5 years after Stage IV squamous NSCLC diagnosis, after Keytruda did not work and treatment included bone radiation, SBRT to the lung nodule, and adrenal cryoablation.

Lung Cancer Research Foundation
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Long-term lung cancer control after immunotherapy-related diabetes

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 80%; EGFR, ALK, ROS1 and BRAF negative

Metastatic Site: brain|liver

After years of disease control off pembrolizumab, a new brain lesion appeared in December 2025 and was treated with focused radiation. He remained clinically stable under oncology follow-up.

PubMed Central
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage IVA EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma: clonal evolution, chemoimmunotherapy response, osimertinib rechallenge, and death after progression

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

Biomarkers: Markers changed over time: started with EGFR L747S/L858R; later MET-amplified, PD-L1 TPS 80%, high TMB clone; later EGFR reappeared.

Metastatic Site: pleura, peritoneal nodule, retroperitoneal lymph nodes

The patient died on 30 April 2025 after progression through multiple lines and infection related to treatment-associated myelosuppression.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
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 Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage IV squamous NSCLC: durable pembrolizumab response followed by invasive aspergillosis, marrow failure, and death

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 20%

Metastatic Site: bilateral lungs

After durable partial response to pembrolizumab-based therapy, he developed severe pulmonary infection, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, progressive AA-like bone marrow failure with severe cytopenias, declined further treatment, and died at home in early 2025.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Squamous Cell CarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IV squamous lung cancer with steroid-refractory immune-related gastritis after pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: Gastric biopsy during immune gastritis showed CD8-positive lymphocyte inflammation, no cancer

After about 2 years of carboplatin, pemetrexed, and pembrolizumab, lung cancer treatment was stopped because of tumor growth; the later immune-related gastritis improved after escalation to infliximab, while the cancer course remained a setback/progression story.

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

MET exon 14 skipping lung adenocarcinoma: sequential MET-TKI toxicity and ongoing chemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: MET exon 14 skipping mutation; EGFR negative; ALK negative; ROS1 negative; PD-L1 tumor proportion score 10%

Metastatic Site: pleura

The cancer recurred with pleural dissemination after surgery and adjuvant UFT. Sequential MET inhibitors and systemic therapies provided periods of disease control but were limited by ILD and non-ILD toxicities; at the report, he remained on carboplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab.

PubMed Central
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

KRAS G12C Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with synchronous urothelial carcinoma and durable response

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

Biomarkers: Lung adenocarcinoma: KRAS ; PD-L1 TPS 5%. Urothelial carcinoma: GATA3-positive; CK7-positive; TTF1-negative.

Metastatic Site: homolateral pulmonary metastases and N2 lymph nodes…

After enfortumab vedotin, the urothelial carcinoma reached complete radiologic response and the lung cancer remained partially responding/stable; treatment was stopped after 16 months, and PET 2 months later showed complete metabolic response.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage III Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IIIA KRAS/STK11/TP53-mutated lung adenocarcinoma: fatal pembrolizumab-induced myocarditis after adjuvant therapy

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

Biomarkers: Ki-67 20-25%; PD-L1 expression 10%; KRAS exon 2 mutation; STK11 mutation; TP53 mutation

As of December 2025, he had died after 15 days of hospitalization from sepsis and multi-organ failure following severe pembrolizumab-induced myocarditis after adjuvant treatment for resected Stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Squamous Cell CarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IV squamous lung cancer: complete response followed by fatal bone marrow metastasis

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

Biomarkers: with PD-L1 95%. SCC antigen/CYFRA rose at relapse.

Metastatic Site: bone (spine, bilateral humerus, bilateral femur); bone…

As of December 2025, he had died of aspiration pneumonia 1 month after admission for biopsy-confirmed bone marrow metastasis from squamous lung cancer, despite a prior complete response to chemoimmunotherapy and pembrolizumab maintenance.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Squamous Cell CarcinomaLung Cancer

Synchronous primary squamous lung cancers: long disease control after multimodal therapy, then Stage IVA lung recurrence

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

Biomarkers: Squamous lung cancers with PD-L1 20% and no driver mutation detected; P40/P63 markers supported squamous type.

Metastatic Site: bilateral lung metastases at recurrence

As of November 2025, the patient had achieved 72 months of progression-free survival and remained alive at 75 months, but had developed Stage IVA recurrent pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma with bilateral lung metastases and had restarted systemic therapy.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSetback / Progression
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage I Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Second primary Stage I lung adenocarcinoma treated with segmentectomy and adjuvant pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 <1%; no common targetable lung cancer changes found in EGFR, ALK, KRAS, BRAF, MET, PIK3CA, RET, ROS1, or NTRK.

At 6-month oncologic follow-up, PET-CT showed complete metabolic response with no evidence of residual disease after segmentectomy and adjuvant pembrolizumab.

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

Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with paraneoplastic nephrotic syndrome during pembrolizumab therapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 tumor proportion score >50% by Roche SP263 assay; KRAS exon 3 mutation; NGS/FISH did not identify targets for first-line targeted therapy

Metastatic Site: brain, bone

Pembrolizumab produced partial response and improved nephrotic-syndrome parameters, but bone metastases progressed in September 2022 and the right upper-lobe target lesion progressed 2 months later, leading to carboplatin plus pemetrexed.

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

Stage IIIB non-squamous NSCLC on chemoimmunotherapy: alcohol-related hypertonic hyponatremia corrected during oncology follow-up

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

Biomarkers: Tumor biomarkers not reported. Severe hyponatremia workup showed high serum osmolality and ethanol level.

He remained under oncology follow-up for Stage IIIB non-squamous NSCLC while alcohol-related hypertonic hyponatremia improved after detoxification and alcohol cessation.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCare Ongoing