Radiation for Stage 4 Lung Cancer: 150 Real Stories

Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Emily's Patient Story

Patient Info: Emily, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation

Metastatic Site: Right lung; right 8th rib; sacrum; pancreas; brain

Emily had Stage IV EGFR-mutated lung cancer treated with daily targeted therapy, 4 rounds of chemotherapy, and later radiation. As of September 2025, she felt well and described being almost/basically in remission, but her cancer remained treatable rather than curable and she continued daily targeted therapy.

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Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Shauna's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: ALK-positive

Metastatic Site: Both lungs

Shauna had Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer involving both lungs. She was stable for about 5 years on her first TKI, had radiation for limited lung growth, and later switched to a newer TKI with stable scans. She explicitly said she had never had no evidence of disease, so the record should not be labeled NED.

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Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with brain and right shoulder-joint metastases: durable pain relief after SBRT

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

Metastatic Site: brain; right shoulder joint

Right shoulder pain resolved within 1 week of SBRT, PET/CT at 6 months showed no FDG uptake in the joint, and there was no right shoulder pain recurrence at the final examination 9 years and 3 months after SBRT.

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Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer with immune-related diabetes and stable disease at 2 years

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

Biomarkers: Tumor PD-L1 not reported. Immune-related diabetes showed very low C-peptide and negative diabetes autoantibodies; thyroiditis also occurred.

Metastatic Site: pancreas; pleura/pleural effusion; mediastinal lymph…

Two years after the SCLC diagnosis, she was alive with stable oncologic disease after later brain metastases were treated with whole-brain radiotherapy, and she remained insulin-dependent.

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Metastatic lung squamous cell carcinoma with T3 vertebral fracture responding to treatment

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

Metastatic Site: bone (T3 vertebra)

Follow-up imaging at 16 weeks showed sclerosis of the T3 lesion, the patient remained neurologically intact, and brace use could be discontinued.

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Stage IV ALK Lung Adenocarcinoma: Allison's Patient Story

Patient Info: Allison, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-positive fusion; later ALK resistance mutations reported

Metastatic Site: Bone (spine, femur, ribs, shoulder); brain

Allison was living with Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer and had a strong response to targeted therapy: brain lesions cleared, most PET activity resolved, and the primary tumor shrank to about 1.5 cm. As of August 2025, she remained on second-line targeted therapy.

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Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma with brain and iliac bone response to chemoimmunotherapy

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1-negative; no EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, KRAS, BRAF, MET, HER2, or NTRK alteration detected; TP53 mutation found.

Metastatic Site: left iliac bone, brain

Brain metastases achieved complete remission without cranial irradiation, and lung, bone, and brain lesions remained stable at last follow-up, with PFS of 35 months and OS exceeding 40 months.

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EGFR-Mutant Stage IV Lung Cancer Treated After Osimertinib-Related Lung Toxicity

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; later EGFR T790M resistance mutation

Metastatic Site: brain, lungs, bones, left adrenal gland, meninges

The latest documented treatment was a lower-dose osimertinib rechallenge with corticosteroids, which reduced the tumor without recurrence of the prior interstitial lung disease.

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ROS1-rearranged Stage IV lung adenocarcinoma: sequential targeted therapy and 73-month survival

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

Biomarkers: CD74-ROS1 C6:R33 fusion; CTNNB1 p.Thr41Ala; APC p.Glu601fs; acquired ROS1 resistance mutation; mTOR p. mutation; FGFR3 gene amplification

Metastatic Site: contralateral lung nodules, brain, pleura

She died on October 6, 2024, after sequential crizotinib, lorlatinib, and cabozantinib for Stage IV ROS1-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma, with total overall survival of 73 months from diagnosis.

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Stage IVA lung cancer with small-cell and adenocarcinoma components: mixed response before infection halted treatment

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 <1%

Metastatic Site: bone (C2, T10, sacral vertebrae); malignant pleural…

The lung cancer showed mixed responses, with right-lung small-cell progression after chemotherapy/immunotherapy and later treatment interruption because of severe lung infection and respiratory failure.

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Stage IV Lung Cancer: Clara's Patient Story

Patient Info: Clara, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Biomarker found but specific mutation not stated

Metastatic Site: Bone and joints; brain; liver/other organs

Clara was living with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer involving bone/joints, brain, and other organs. As of August 2025, she had received brain radiation and first-line chemotherapy plus immunotherapy, with ongoing lifelong immunotherapy planned.

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Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer: Kristen's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kristen, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver, abdominal wall, bone

Kristen had metastatic small cell lung cancer with liver, abdominal wall, and bone involvement. As of July 2025, she had completed chemotherapy, had organ-tumor shrinkage, had immunotherapy on hold because of shortness of breath, and was planning bone-directed treatment and possible immunotherapy restart.

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Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Kathrin's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kathrin, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-positive

Metastatic Site: bones including left foot, liver, abdomen/belly

Kathrin had Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer with metastases including left foot/bone, liver, and abdomen. Radiation and targeted therapy worked quickly, with PET imaging after about 8 weeks showing almost everything gone; she remained on lifelong targeted therapy and did not describe being cured.

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Stage IV small-cell lung cancer: complete response after chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy

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

Biomarkers: especially at recurrence. PD-L1 was not reported.

Metastatic Site: liver; right hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes

As of January 2, 2024, she was alive with overall survival exceeding 95 months and complete response after treatment for recurrent small-cell lung cancer.

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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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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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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 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 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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