Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Heidi's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- No targetable mutation identified
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surveillance
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Incidental chest CT in October 2018 found lung mass and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes; biopsy and 2 tumor boards confirmed inoperable Stage IIIA NSCLC
- cisplatin + pemetrexed for 3 cycles, given 21 days apart, with concurrent IMRT for 30 treatments starting 14 November 2018
- major response by the 7th radiation treatment and very little tumor left by 26 December 2018, described as scar tissue with lymph nodes obliterated
- durvalumab every other week starting 17 January 2019 for 26 infusions over 1 year, completed 8 January 2020
- scans through January 2021 showed no evidence of disease.
What happened, in summary
Heidi was 55, a fitness trainer, and a lifelong health enthusiast when lung cancer was found by accident. In October 2018, she had a CT scan during evaluation of a mildly suspicious ovarian cyst. The ovary was benign, but the chest CT showed a lung mass and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. Biopsy, staging, and review by 2 tumor boards confirmed inoperable Stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. Heidi had no respiratory symptoms, no smoking history, and no targetable mutation, so her path centered on chemoradiation followed by immunotherapy. Starting November 14, 2018, she received 3 cycles of cisplatin and pemetrexed, given 21 days apart, together with 30 IMRT radiation treatments. After the 7th radiation treatment, imaging already showed major shrinkage. By December 26, very little tumor remained, the area was described as scar tissue, and the involved lymph nodes had disappeared. Heidi then started durvalumab infusions every other week on January 17, 2019. She completed 26 infusions over 1 year and officially ended treatment on January 8, 2020. Scans through January 2021 showed no evidence of disease. As of June 2026, Heidi’s story also centered on advocacy through The White Ribbon Project, challenging lung cancer stigma and showing that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
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.