EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Donna's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- EGFR-positive lung cancer reported during recurrence; initial tumor biomarker status not reported
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation and surveillance
- Outcome
- Setback / Progression
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial Stage II operable NSCLC was treated with surgery by the end of November 2015
- Pathology showed an unusual adenocarcinoma, so chemotherapy was recommended after a second opinion
- Chemotherapy stopped after 2 treatments because each treatment led to emergency-room visits
- Later recurrence led to a second surgery, more chemotherapy, and EGFR-targeted therapy with dose changes
- Targeted therapy caused kidney failure
- In July 2025, 2 new spots were treated with radiation
- Recent scans showed new nodules being monitored.
What happened, in summary
Donna Thompson was 45 when an emergency-room visit for high blood sugar unexpectedly revealed a lung mass. She had no smoking history, so lung cancer seemed unlikely to everyone around her, but scans and biopsy confirmed Stage II non-small cell lung cancer. The tumor was operable, and by the end of November 2015 she had surgery with clean margins. At first, she was told chemotherapy would not be needed. Then pathology showed an unusual adenocarcinoma, and a second opinion recommended chemotherapy. Donna tried it, but every treatment sent her to the emergency room, so chemotherapy was stopped after 2 treatments. She rebuilt her health through fitness, diet changes, and advocacy, but later learned that a recurrence had likely been visible on earlier imaging. Her later care included a second surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and treatment for EGFR-positive lung cancer. The targeted therapy was adjusted several times but ultimately caused kidney failure, forcing another change in care. After recovering, Donna had radiation to 2 new spots in July 2025 because it was the gentlest option. Recent scans showed new nodules that her team is watching. Her current status is best described as progression/recurrence under careful monitoring, not a simple completed-treatment survivorship story.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by GO2 Foundation. Read the original in full
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team.