Stage II KRAS Lung Adenocarcinoma: Roy's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Roy was a 50-year-old commercial airline pilot and Air Force veteran when he noticed a subtle rattle in his chest while lying down at night. An early X-ray was interpreted as something like pneumonia, and because he was a nonsmoker with no family history of lung cancer, no one seemed alarmed. About 1 to 1.5 years later, he raised the symptom again at a checkup. A repeat X-ray looked larger, CT imaging showed a right lower-lobe mass with 2 satellite nodules, and bronchoscopy confirmed lung adenocarcinoma with mucinous features. Further testing identified a KRAS G12D mutation, and the YouTube description identifies the stage as Stage IIB. Roy had robotic-assisted VATS surgery to remove the right lower lobe, and his margins were good. He then received 4 rounds of cisplatin plus another chemotherapy drug. About 1 month after chemotherapy, his oncologist recommended a newly FDA-approved immunotherapy planned for 12 months. Roy stopped after about 8 months because of autoimmune side effects, including severe dry mouth from salivary-gland problems and vitiligo. As of May 2026, Roy was cancer-free/in remission, back to professional flying, and had completed his 5th marathon at the Boston Marathon. He also credits the diagnosis with changing how closely he monitors his health, including coronary artery disease found during lung-cancer imaging.