Metastatic NSCLC with ATM mutations: 28-month response to olaparib before progression

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

Biomarkers: cfDNA showed ATM and ATM mutations. Common NSCLC drivers were negative; initial tumor markers were negative.

Metastatic Site: liver, left pubic bone, bilateral pulmonary nodules,…

After 28 months of remission and improved quality of life on olaparib, June 2024 PET-CT showed progression with a new 1.2 cm hypermetabolic left lower-lobe pulmonary nodule; olaparib was still being continued at the October 2024 clinic visit.

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Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with brain and adrenal progression after prolonged disease control

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

Biomarkers: Small-cell lung cancer markers included CD56, CgA and TTF-1; Ki-67 was 80%.

Metastatic Site: brain, right adrenal gland, left adrenal gland

After 31 months of stability on second-line anlotinib with palliative chemoradiotherapy, disease progressed in July 2024 with new brain lesions and adrenal progression; the patient declined additional systemic options and continued anlotinib.

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Stage IVA EGFR L858R lung adenocarcinoma with malignant effusions and thrombosis

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 21 L858R mutation; TTF-1 weak positive; Napsin A positive; p40 negative; Ki-67 about 10%

Metastatic Site: malignant pleural effusion; malignant pericardial…

As of May 2025, abdominal pain had resolved, splenic infarction had not progressed, thromboembolic events were regressing, no new thrombus formation was seen, and outpatient follow-up continued while he remained on cancer and anticoagulation management.

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Stage IV Large-Cell Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer Controlled for Nearly Four Years With Multiple Treatments

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high initially; no actionable driver mutation; later PD-L1 5%

Metastatic Site: liver, bones

After several partial responses across multiple treatment lines, she entered hospice and died on December 13, 2024, after an overall survival of 47 months.

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Stage IVA lung adenosquamous carcinoma: complete response after paclitaxel, nedaplatin, and tislelizumab

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

Biomarkers: Adenosquamous lung cancer markers; PD-L1 TPS 18%; KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, FLT1 mutation; TMB 3.7

Metastatic Site: pleura/chest wall, cervical lymph nodes, axillary…

As of March 30, 2025, he maintained complete response with normal tumor markers, no radiologic evidence of progression or recurrence, and progression-free survival of 46.5 months after paclitaxel/nedaplatin/tislelizumab followed by maintenance tislelizumab.

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

Patient Info: Jenny Apple, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 20 mutation

Metastatic Site: brain

Jenny Apple had nonsmoking lung adenocarcinoma with an EGFR exon 20 mutation. Her cancer was first found at Stage IIIA / near IIIB and later progressed to Stage IV with brain metastases. She died before the June 2025 story from her husband Kyle.

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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 IV Lung Adenocarcinoma With KRAS Mutation Responding to Immunotherapy and Anti-Angiogenic Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS mutation; MET amplification

Metastatic Site: pleura

By the December 2023 follow-up, the pleural effusion had disappeared, the primary lung tumor had not progressed, and he was described as symptom-free and in good health on maintenance treatment.

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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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Small-cell lung cancer: complete response complicated by radiation bronchial injury and adrenal recurrence

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

Metastatic Site: left adrenal gland

As of May 2025, the initial lung and mediastinal disease had achieved complete response, but the patient developed severe radiation-related bronchial injury and later left adrenal metastasis requiring renewed systemic chemotherapy.

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Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Natasha's Patient Story

Patient Info: Natasha, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR-positive

Metastatic Site: brain

Natasha had Stage IV EGFR-positive lung cancer with brain metastases. Tagrisso/osimertinib was her main treatment, but a new brain metastasis later appeared and was treated with Gamma Knife. As of May 2025, she was awaiting follow-up MRI while continuing care.

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How We Got Here: 6 Young Lung Cancer Patients & Their Paths To Surgery- Part 1

Patient Info: Leah Phillips, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion

Metastatic Site: bone (pelvis; spine; ribs)

As of April 2025, Leah was living with Stage IV EGFR exon 19 deletion lung cancer while continuing Tagrisso after SBRT and right middle lobe lobectomy.

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Stage IV Lung Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Persistent Chest Pain and Rib Metastasis

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

Biomarkers: TP53 mutation; PD-L1 30%; no sensitive driver mutation identified

Metastatic Site: bone

After delayed diagnosis of Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with a painful rib metastasis, he began systemic immunotherapy and local treatment for the painful bone lesion.

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Metastatic SMARCA4-Deficient Lung Cancer Controlled for More Than Two Years With Tislelizumab and Fruquintinib

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 8%; no target-sensitive mutation identified

Metastatic Site: left adrenal gland, cervical lymph nodes

After radiotherapy reduced the cervical-node metastasis, imaging on April 26, 2024 showed stable disease. He ended trial treatment after 2 years and continued regular follow-up.

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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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Stage IV squamous lung cancer: partial response complicated by pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm

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

Metastatic Site: distant sites not specified (M1c1)

As of April 2025, tumor imaging showed partial remission/significant reduction, and the pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm was successfully embolized with no recurrent hemoptysis over 6 months.

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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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Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Later Brain and Other Metastases in a Woman With COPD

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

Metastatic Site: central nervous system

Her neurologic condition progressively worsened after immune-related encephalitis and extensive metastatic progression. She died from sepsis 8 months after the lung-cancer diagnosis.

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Small Cell Lung Cancer That Spread to the Ear Canal

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

Metastatic Site: external auditory canal, middle ear, pancreas, bone

The metastatic lesions initially shrank and his hearing and ear pain improved, but he died 15 months after diagnosis.

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Stage 4 ALK-rearranged lung cancer: complete response with alectinib and SBRT

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: EML4-ALK fusion, EGFR wild type. Later tumor: EGFR L858R/T790M and TP53 L194R, without ALK rearrangement.

Metastatic Site: pleura, lymph nodes

As of March 2025, the original ALK-rearranged metastatic disease had responded to alectinib, the separate EGFR-mutant right upper-lobe lesion had responded to SBRT, and PET-CT showed no hypermetabolic lung lesion.

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Stage 4 SMARCA4-deficient lung cancer: ongoing treatment response

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

Biomarkers: SMARCA4-deficient lung cancer with BRG-1 loss, CK/CK7 positive, Ki-67 >40%. CEA

Metastatic Site: sigmoid colon, left adrenal gland

After colon metastasis surgery, continued radiotherapy, and later gemcitabine/nedaplatin/bevacizumab/camrelizumab for adrenal metastasis, the cancer showed a favorable response with no further recurrence or new metastasis reported.

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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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Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma: complete remission on nivolumab complicated by immune-mediated diabetes

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

Biomarkers: Lung tumor: EGFR wild type, ALK rearrangement not detected. Immune-mediated diabetes: islet/GAD antibodies negative and C-peptide undetectable.

Metastatic Site: brain (cerebellum and occipital lobe); liver

As of March 2025, serial CT and MRI scans through October 2023 showed no evidence of oncologic disease after nivolumab, while immune-mediated diabetes was controlled with basal-bolus insulin.

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Stage IV ROS1 Lung Adenocarcinoma: Luna's Patient Story

Patient Info: Luna, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ROS1 rearrangement; EGFR negative; ALK negative

Metastatic Site: liver; bones

Luna had Stage IV ROS1-positive lung adenocarcinoma with liver and bone metastases. After progression on initial chemotherapy, crizotinib led to tumor shrinkage and controlled her cancer for almost 12 years as of March 2025.

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