Stage III KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Terri's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- KRAS-mutated; PD-L1 level reviewed/tested
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- biomarker testing, chemotherapy, surgery, ablation and radiation
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Biomarker and PD-L1 testing changed the plan from removing the whole left lung to trying chemotherapy first
- Terri received 3 rounds of chemotherapy and responded well
- Surgery removed the lower-left lung lobe instead of the whole lung
- Later local recurrences were treated with microwave ablation and radiation/SBRT
- One recurrence was treated with 15 radiation sessions
- Specific chemotherapy drugs were not named.
What happened, in summary
Terri Conneran was 55 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIA KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Her symptoms first looked like asthma, allergies, bronchitis, or pneumonia, but breathing problems kept getting worse. An X-ray done after she developed pneumonia showed fluid and revealed a lung tumor. Doctors initially worried the cancer might be Stage IV, but testing showed it was not metastatic. Her first plan was to remove the whole left lung. Biomarker and PD-L1 testing changed that approach shortly before surgery. Instead, Terri received 3 rounds of chemotherapy, responded well, and was able to have only the lower-left lobe removed. After recovery, she was told in July that there was no evidence of disease. That first NED period lasted about 18 months, with scans every 3 months. Later scans found local recurrences. Over time, those were treated with microwave ablation and radiation/SBRT, including 15 rounds of radiation for one recurrence. As of March 2021, Terri had again reached no evidence of disease, while still living with regular scan anxiety and surveillance. Her experience led her to start KRAS Kickers, a community focused on biomarker testing, treatment options, clinical trials, and support for people with KRAS-mutated cancer. That advocacy became part of her survivorship and helped other patients feel less alone.
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.