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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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 IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Alisa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Alisa Secaida, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-positive / ALK-rearranged

Metastatic Site: Brain; lymph nodes

As of May 2025, after alectinib and lung surgery, pathology still showed active tumor and lymph-node cancer cells, and Alisa was receiving IMRT for remaining disease.

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Metastatic lung squamous cell carcinoma: no recurrence after chemoimmunotherapy and pembrolizumab maintenance

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; PD-L1 TPS 95%; TTF-1-negative; p40-positive

Metastatic Site: mediastinal lymph nodes; bilateral lung nodules

As of April 2025, PET/CT 3 years after treatment initiation showed no sign of recurrence after carboplatin, nab-paclitaxel, pembrolizumab, and 2 years of pembrolizumab monotherapy.

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Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma: pembrolizumab response complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension

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

Biomarkers: CK7-positive; TTF-1-positive; p40 focally positive; high tumor mutational burden; no targetable mutations identified

Metastatic Site: right axillary lymph node; right hilar lymph nodes;…

As of April 2025, the patient was tolerating single-agent pemetrexed without evidence of lung cancer progression, while pulmonary arterial hypertension symptoms had improved on riociguat and macitentan.

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Severe Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia After Pembrolizumab for Metastatic Lung Cancer

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 70%

Metastatic Site: left adrenal gland, subdiaphragmatic region

He recovered clinically from the acute hemolytic anemia after intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose steroids, and blood transfusions, then continued outpatient oncology follow-up.

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Extended-stage small cell lung cancer with breast metastasis: complete response after pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: TMB-high, microsatellite stable; TP53/PTEN mutations, and SOX2/PIK3CA/FGF12 amplifications.

Metastatic Site: breast

As of March 2025, she had maintained complete response for more than 18 months on pembrolizumab monotherapy after prior cisplatin/irinotecan response.

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Stage 4 lung cancer: managing pembrolizumab-induced myasthenia gravis

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

Biomarkers: Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody elevated; TSH elevated during immune-related adverse event workup; cancer biomarkers not reported

At 9 months after the immune-related myasthenia gravis presentation, lung cancer remained in complete response while she continued low-dose prednisolone, pyridostigmine, levothyroxine, and nighttime NIV.

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Stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma with RET fusion responding to pralsetinib

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

Biomarkers: RET fusion

Metastatic Site: pleura

As of March 2025, he had recovered from grade 3 Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, restarted pralsetinib, and had no progressive disease or recurrence of adverse events over 13 months.

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Fatal Multiorgan Failure After Pembrolizumab-Based Treatment for Metastatic Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female | Stage IV

She died less than 12 hours after hospital presentation with rapidly progressive multiorgan failure one week after the first pembrolizumab-based treatment cycle; immune-related toxicity was strongly suspected, although the rapid decline limited full evaluation.

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

Patient Info: Eugenia Horan, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Eugenia became Stage IV while critically ill in the ICU and was later told hospice might be appropriate, but she started Keytruda on August 29, 2019 and was alive 5 years later. As of February 2025, she described that treatment as the medicine that saved her.

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Stage IV Squamous Lung Cancer Complicated by an Esophageal-Mediastinal Fistula

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

Metastatic Site: brain, bone

Four months after the fistula was treated conservatively, imaging showed the fistula had resolved and the lung tumor and metastatic hilar nodes had decreased despite no additional antitumor treatment during that interval.

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Therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia during lung cancer treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+

Biomarkers: Therapy-related APL with t and PML/RARA fusion; CD33 positive

The patient died 6 hours after symptom onset on day 6 of induction therapy for therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia.

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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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Long-Lasting Pembrolizumab Response in Stage III Lung Adenocarcinoma With STK11, TP53 and RB1 Mutations

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

Biomarkers: TP53 and RB1 mutations; high tumor mutational burden; PD-L1 70%

Pembrolizumab produced a partial response within 3 months, improved his breathing and fatigue, and was continued for more than 2 years without significant immune-related toxicity.

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MET Y1003N-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma Responding to Tepotinib

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

Biomarkers: MET mutation

Metastatic Site: bone

Tepotinib produced an 8-month response after many earlier treatments, but the cancer later recurred and she died about 3 years after treatment began.

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Stage 4 lung cancer: complete response to chemoimmunotherapy and surgery

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 20 duplication with PD-L1 TPS 70%; P40/CK5/6 positive squamous markers; Ki-67 60%.

Metastatic Site: right adrenal gland; possible adjacent…

As of May 7, 2024, CT follow-up showed no evidence of disease after chemoimmunotherapy, conversion surgery with pathologic complete response, and pembrolizumab maintenance.

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Stage III Large Cell Lung Cancer With Complete Response to Pembrolizumab-Based Treatment

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 TPS >60%; no actionable gene mutations identified

Imaging showed complete response of the recurrent hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes, and he remained progression-free through 24 cycles of treatment.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma: ROS1 fusion detected after immunotherapy resistance and partial response to entrectinib

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

Biomarkers: Initial lung adenocarcinoma markers supported lung origin; PD-L1 <1%, no target found at first. Later testing found CD74-ROS1 fusion.

Metastatic Site: brain, bilateral lung lesions

As of December 2024, repeat imaging after entrectinib showed partial response in lung disease and regression of brain metastases, with the patient stable and willing to continue treatment.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma: clinical complete remission with pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: No EGFR/ALK/BRAF driver alteration; PD-L1 <1%; high TMB in tissue and blood; immune-cell markers reported.

Metastatic Site: bilateral lungs, mediastinal lymph nodes, right hilar…

Clinical complete remission by RECIST while receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy for driver-negative, PD-L1-negative, high-TMB Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma.

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Stage IV Lung Cancer: Natalie's Patient Story

Patient Info: Natalie, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: lungs, lymph nodes

As of December 2024, Natalie had restarted chemotherapy after progression, and the current chemotherapy had stopped growth for the moment while she continued transplant evaluation.

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Stage IV Lung Adenocarcinoma With Delayed Pembrolizumab-Related Pneumonitis

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

Metastatic Site: contralateral lung

After brachytherapy and continued pembrolizumab, imaging 1 year later showed a smaller right hilar lesion with otherwise stable disease. She later recovered from delayed pembrolizumab-related pneumonitis after immunotherapy had been stopped.

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Lung Adenocarcinoma With Immune-Related Abdominal Inflammation and Later Bone Progression

Patient Info: Anonymized, male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 30%; KRAS G13X mutation; EGFR/ALK/ROS1 negative

Metastatic Site: bone

After several periods of response or stability, lymph-node progression recurred and bone progression was documented in July 2024. Another treatment line was being planned.

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Pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine cancer treated with airway procedures and pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: EGFR negative, ALK negative, ROS1 negative, TP53 negative, PD-L1 <1%, TMB 28.3 mut/Mb

Metastatic Site: bilateral lungs

Pembrolizumab-based treatment produced a complete remission, but multiple intrapulmonary metastases recurred in October 2021 after an 18-month progression-free interval. Further local airway treatment was performed and pembrolizumab continued.

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