Lung Adenocarcinoma Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Subtype
- Adenocarcinoma
- Biomarkers
- T790M resistance no longer detected in later liquid biopsies; squamous-cell component described in bronchial biopsy pathology
- Sex
- Male
- Treatment
- targeted therapy and pain management
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- 5 February bronchoscopy pathology described bronchial biopsy with infiltration by squamous carcinoma within a tumor initially understood as adenocarcinoma
- later T790M resistance became negative in multiple liquid biopsies, blocking AZD9291 trial access at that time
- continued afatinib/Giotrif while awaiting June CT after about 5 months of treatment
- codeine plus ibuprofen used to control cough, dyspnea, and chest pain.
What happened, in summary
This Noxte post focused on pathology details that complicated the patient’s understanding of his lung cancer. A bronchoscopy performed on 5 February had produced a biopsy report from Hospital Puerta de Hierro. The tumor had first been understood as adenocarcinoma, but the pathology description also mentioned infiltration by squamous carcinoma. That detail worried him because it suggested a mixed or more complicated tumor biology and made him less sure which targeted approach would be best. T790M resistance had later become negative in several liquid biopsies, which had kept him from entering the AZD9291 trial at that time. He continued taking afatinib/Giotrif and waited for the next CT planned for June, after about 5 months on the drug. He felt the only honest answer was to wait and see how the tumor behaved. Symptom control mattered just as much in daily life. Cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain were better controlled with codeine plus ibuprofen, enough that he was considering a trip to Seville. As of 8 May 2016, he was still in active treatment, balancing hope from symptom improvement with concern that the tumor’s squamous-cell component could make the path ahead harder.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Noxte (Blog Cáncer de Pulmón). 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.