What happened, in summary

A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed in 2020 with Stage III non-small cell lung cancer, specifically moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with a KRAS exon 2 mutation. Surgery was considered too risky because the tumor involved major vessels, and she declined radiation because of bleeding concerns. She first received 2 cycles of nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin and had a partial response. Treatment then changed to anti-PD-1 therapy with the same chemotherapy for 4 cycles, again producing a partial response, followed by anti-PD-1 maintenance. The lung cancer remained in persistent remission for about 18 months. During that period, however, she developed a separate pancreatic adenocarcinoma that later spread to the liver. Her condition worsened late in 2021, and she died in March 2022. The lung primary had remained well controlled while the pancreatic cancer progressed.