What happened, in summary

A 47-year-old Syrian woman was diagnosed with Stage III adenocarcinoma of the left lung in March 2020. She had a complete pneumonectomy, followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and radiation. She then entered regular follow-up.

In January 2021, shortness of breath and cough led to new scans showing recurrent disease in the right lung. A new biopsy again confirmed adenocarcinoma, and testing found an EGFR mutation. She began gefitinib in February 2021. After 3 months, imaging showed a complete response.

Because gefitinib later became unavailable at her hospital, she switched to erlotinib for 9 months. During erlotinib treatment, her eyelashes became unusually long and required repeated trimming. She also experienced skin symptoms, dry skin, mild diarrhea, and loss of appetite. When gefitinib became available again, she resumed it and the eyelash changes resolved.

The three most recent imaging studies continued to show a complete response. Nearly 4 years after the relapse, she remained in good health without tumor progression. Her experience also reflects the challenge of maintaining cancer treatment when access to specific medicines is limited.