What happened, in summary

Deborah Schroeder had smoked for more than 35 years before quitting in 2009, but she still never expected lung cancer. Since then, she has been diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer 3 separate times. The first diagnosis came in summer 2013 after unusual chest pain led to an X-ray. A local doctor suggested removing her entire right lung, but Deborah sought care at MD Anderson. After confirming the diagnosis, her team decided that stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was a better fit than surgery. SBRT focuses radiation directly on the tumor to limit damage to nearby healthy tissue. Deborah received 4 days of SBRT starting September 12, 2013. It worked well enough that she did not need surgery, chemotherapy, or anything else, and she remained cancer-free until 2016. Then a routine checkup found another tiny nodule in her left lung. She had another 4 days of SBRT and remained cancer-free until January 2020, when doctors found a new nodule. A third 4-day SBRT course was prescribed, and a CT scan before treatment also helped uncover COVID-19. As of December 2020, Deborah had recovered from COVID-19 and 3 lung cancer episodes. Her doctors were still monitoring about 10 tiny lung nodules that had not changed in years.