Stage I Lung Cancer: Debra's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage I
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- diagnostic workup, surgery and surveillance
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Emergency CT scan for low oxygen and possible pneumonia found a right-lung tumor
- Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy collected biopsies and staging information
- Multidisciplinary tumor board recommended surgery to remove the tumor
- Tumor resection was performed in May 2023
- No chemotherapy was needed
- Surveillance imaging planned for several years.
What happened, in summary
Debra Haberstroh went to the emergency room over the 2023 New Year’s holiday after her oxygen level dropped to 85%. Because she had asthma and felt poorly, the emergency physician ordered a CT scan to look for pneumonia. Instead, the scan found a tumor in her right lung. Debra’s care team moved quickly and collaboratively. Her pulmonologist brought in a colleague to discuss robotic-assisted bronchoscopy because the lesion was in a difficult location to reach by traditional biopsy. The robotic approach allowed the team to biopsy the tumor and perform staging work to confirm whether Debra was a good candidate for tumor resection. After the bronchoscopy, her case went to a multidisciplinary tumor board with surgeons, oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, and pathologists. The team decided tumor resection offered the best option, and surgery took place in May 2023. Debra did not need chemotherapy. Recovery was slower than she expected, but steady. Her oncologist told her she was technically cured and encouraged her to live her life. As of November 2023, about 5 months after surgery, Debra was continuing follow-up and planned surveillance imaging for several years to make sure no new lesions appeared. She described the experience as a second chance after an unexpected emergency-room finding.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Cleveland Clinic. 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.