Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Jay's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- ALK mutation / ALK-rearranged lung cancer
- Sex
- Male
- Spread to
- Not reported
- Treatment
- biopsy, genetic testing, targeted therapy, a clinical trial and supportive care
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Diagnosed in 2008
- A strong biopsy sample in fall 2009 clarified ALK-positive lung cancer
- Mass General care included treatment through 3 different clinical trials
- Specific trial drug names are not reported
- Supportive care included social work, meditation, acupuncture, and whole-person support
- By the story, he expected to be cancer-free for 1.5 years the next month.
What happened, in summary
Jay Petri was diagnosed in 2008 and received clearer answers in fall 2009, when a good biopsy showed lung cancer with an ALK mutation. He understood that Stage IV lung cancer was probably terminal, and the diagnosis was followed by major personal loss when he was terminated from his job 90 days later. Coming to Mass General gave him a path forward because the ALK finding opened the door to clinical trials. Jay went through 3 different trials, while also receiving social work support, meditation, acupuncture, and help coping with the emotional impact of cancer. He described healing as more than treating the disease; it involved the whole person. When sharing his story, Jay said the following month would mark 1.5 years of being cancer-free. He had also watched his children marry and build their own lives, milestones he once feared he would miss. Over time, he began cutting back on social work visits, volunteering, and giving back to the hospital community that had become family. His story is Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer with a cancer-free / NED outcome after clinical trial treatment and strong whole-person support.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Massachusetts General Hospital. 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.