Stage II ALK Lung Adenocarcinoma: Stephanie's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage II
- Subtype
- Adenocarcinoma
- Biomarkers
- ALK-rearranged
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Bronchoscopy biopsy confirmed lung adenocarcinoma
- Open chest surgery/lobectomy removed 2 right-lung lobes, including the middle lobe
- Pathology showed clean margins and 12 lymph nodes negative
- Completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy through a port
- Daily ALK-targeted pill started about 1 month after chemotherapy and continued with clean scans.
What happened, in summary
Stephanie Williams developed a mild but persistent cough in spring 2021. At a yearly primary care visit, she asked for a chest X-ray. The image showed a cloudy area on her right side, and a same-day CT scan described a large spiculated mass that was highly suspicious for cancer. A bronchoscopy biopsy later confirmed lung adenocarcinoma.
Her surgeon recommended an open thoracotomy rather than a minimally invasive approach because the tumor was about 5 cm and difficult to remove safely. Stephanie expected 1 lobe to be removed, but woke up learning that 2 right-lung lobes, including the middle lobe, had been taken because the tumor sat between them. Pathology brought better news: margins were clean, 12 lymph nodes were negative, and the final stage was IIB.
About 1 month after surgery, Stephanie met her oncologist and learned the tumor was ALK-positive. She still received 4 rounds of chemotherapy through a port, with significant fatigue and other side effects. A second-opinion ALK specialist then recommended daily targeted therapy, even though this approach was newer for earlier-stage disease. As of January 2025, nearly 3 years after diagnosis, Stephanie had clean scans and continued taking the ALK-targeted pills to lower the chance of recurrence.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
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. Read the full disclaimer