Advanced Lung Cancer With Extreme White Blood Cell Counts and Poor Circulation

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 70%

Metastatic Site: contralateral lung|bone (left iliac)

After a mixed but mildly improved response to three pembrolizumab cycles, she developed severe paraneoplastic leukocytosis, arterial ischaemia, and acute respiratory failure and died after choosing comfort measures.

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Metastatic Lung Cancer Responded Completely After a Change in Immunotherapy

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

Biomarkers: TTF-1-positive; napsin-positive; PD-L1 0%; high tumour mutational burden; no actionable mutations

Metastatic Site: bone (left iliac bone, acetabulum and thoracic…

After progression on nivolumab, atezolizumab produced a complete response by the 6-month scan; after 35 cycles, the response remained sustained, he was alive and well, and no immune-related adverse effects were documented.

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Lung cancer response to pembrolizumab complicated by severe kidney injury

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

The lung tumor had decreased after 5 pembrolizumab courses and had not progressed again by hospital discharge. The kidney complication required temporary dialysis but resolved, with creatinine 0.91 mg/dL at 8-month follow-up.

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Pleomorphic lung cancer responding to pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 tumor proportion score >75%; EGFR negative; ROS1 negative; ALK fusion negative

Metastatic Site: right 8th rib, left adrenal gland

His general condition improved as the tumors shrank, and he remained well 7 months after diagnosis with maintenance pembrolizumab planned.

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Nivolumab-related adrenal failure during treatment for metastatic lung cancer

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

Metastatic Site: brain (left cerebellum)

Her confusion, gastrointestinal symptoms, and hyponatremia improved after glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement, and she was discharged on ongoing hormone replacement.

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

Patient Info: Donna Fernandez, Female, 50s | Stage IV

While receiving nivolumab on a Phase III trial, Donna’s tumors remained present but stopped growing, and she was able to return to an active daily life.

Long-Term Nivolumab Response With Thyroid and Adrenal Side Effects

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

Nivolumab remained ongoing at course 82, tumor burden had fallen to one-fifth of baseline, and no disease progression was documented.

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Nivolumab-Related Myocarditis and Heart Block in Metastatic Lung Cancer

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

Metastatic Site: left adrenal gland

He stabilized after high-dose steroids and pacemaker implantation after nivolumab was permanently stopped.

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Hormone Problems During Nivolumab Treatment for Advanced Lung Cancer

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

Biomarkers: EGFR/ALK/ROS1/BRAF wild type

Metastatic Site: abdominal wall|brain

She was living with Stage IVA lung cancer after about 1 year of nivolumab. Thyroid levels normalized after levothyroxine adjustment, and continued endocrine monitoring was planned for treatment-related pituitary dysfunction.

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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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Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma Complicated by Severe Nivolumab Pneumonitis

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

Biomarkers: Microsatellite stable; low tumor mutation burden; PD-L1 70%

His severe nivolumab-related pneumonitis improved after infliximab.

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Delayed Adrenal Insufficiency After Nivolumab for Stage IV Lung Cancer

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

Biomarkers: EGFR unmutated; ALK unmutated; ROS1 unmutated

His weakness, fatigue, weight loss, and orthostatic hypotension resolved after hormone replacement, and he returned home independently.

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Autoimmune hemolytic anemia after 39 cycles of nivolumab for metastatic lung cancer

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

Metastatic Site: liver, bone

While nivolumab remained on hold, his lung cancer was stable on imaging and clinically, and hemoglobin had recovered to 14.6 g/dL about 4 months after high-dose prednisone and rituximab began.

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Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma causing sudden hearing loss and vertigo

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

Metastatic Site: bone|liver|brain|internal auditory meatus

About 10 months after the metastatic diagnosis, she developed new left-sided deafness, vertigo and facial weakness associated with metastatic involvement of the internal auditory meatus.

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Stage IV Squamous Lung Cancer Resected After Response to Checkpoint Immunotherapy

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

After complete resection, he was alive, disease free and off treatment at postoperative follow-up.

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Oligometastatic Lung Cancer With Brain Spread, Surgery and Later Recurrence

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

Metastatic Site: brain

After 15 months off treatment he developed mediastinal nodal and distant metastases and was alive with disease on platinum-based chemotherapy 25 months after surgery.

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Finding Happiness Despite Stage IV Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, 50s | Stage IV

More than a year after diagnosis, she remained in treatment for Stage IV lung cancer, with some therapies losing effectiveness as the cancer developed resistance.

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Stage IV ERBB2-Mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma With Brain Metastases and Multiple Targeted Therapies

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

Biomarkers: ERBB2 exon 20 insertion, exact sequence not specified. ERBB2 copy-number gain was identified during progression on afatinib.

Metastatic Site: brain, adrenal gland, liver

The final documented afatinib plus bevacizumab rechallenge produced a mixed response followed by liver progression after 3 months.

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Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Caused New Type 1 Diabetes

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

Biomarkers: No ALK, ROS1, KRAS or EGFR alteration was detected; CK7-positive; TTF-1-negative; PAX-negative; CK20-negative

Metastatic Site: Pleura

After 4 combination-treatment cycles, the right-lung nodules had decreased markedly and nearly resolved. He continued maintenance pembrolizumab every 3 weeks and remained on insulin with stable glucose control.

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Stage IV Lung Cancer: Bill's Patient Story

Patient Info: Bill Smith, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Genomic testing performed; specific result not reported

Metastatic Site: Brain; liver; bone/humerus

As of October 2016, Bill was receiving immunotherapy every 2 weeks, all tumors had shrunk, chemotherapy had stopped and he reported markedly improved quality of life while living with Stage IV lung cancer.

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