Stage I Lung Cancer: Lauren's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage I
- Biomarkers
- CD56-positive; neuroendocrine tumor
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery and surveillance
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- CT scan on December 17, 2021 found a tumor
- Bronchoscopy on January 6, 2022 removed most of the tumor and biopsied it
- Surgery on March 15, 2022 removed the right lower lobe and right middle lobe because the tumor involved both areas
- Radiation was discussed after surgery but not started because disease appeared stable
- Surveillance moved from CT scans every 3 months to every 6 months and then yearly.
What happened, in summary
Lauren had years of worsening breathing problems that were treated as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infections, and upper respiratory infections. By late 2021, she had high fevers, a chronic wheeze, and a collapsed lung. She pushed for a CT scan because she felt something more serious was being missed. The scan on December 17, 2021, showed a tumor. On January 6, 2022, doctors performed a bronchoscopy, removed most of the tumor, and biopsied it. The result showed bronchial and lung cancer; the tumor was CD56-positive and described as neuroendocrine. Lauren heard mixed wording about stage, with some doctors calling it Stage I and others less certain, but the cancer was treated as early-stage localized disease. Surgery was planned to remove the remaining tumor. On March 15, 2022, she woke up to learn that both her right lower lobe and right middle lobe had been removed because of how the tumor had grown. Radiation was discussed afterward, but her team held off because everything looked stable. As of August 2023, Lauren had no signs of more cancer, had moved from CT scans every 3 months to yearly scans, and had returned to running and hiking despite ongoing breathing concerns.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. 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.