Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Laura's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- ALK translocation / ALK-driven; MET amplification; EGFR amplification reported in brain tumor
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Brain
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- In Memory
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial 2015 treatment included 2 rounds of chemotherapy with 6 weeks of radiation
- Surgery removed the left lower lung mass
- Four more rounds of chemotherapy followed surgery
- Later brain metastases were treated with alectinib, brain radiation, and emergency brain surgeries
- Alectinib plus capmatinib was used after MET amplification was found
- Additional radiation and surgery treated growing brain tumors
- The source names a later loratinib/capmatinib trial attempt, which caused severe toxicity and led to dose reductions, speech therapy, and more radiation in September 2022.
What happened, in summary
Laura Greco’s lung cancer record needs a major subtype correction: this was lung cancer, not colon cancer. Her initial diagnosis in 2015 was Stage IIIA non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer driven by an ALK translocation. Initial treatment included 2 rounds of chemotherapy given with 6 weeks of radiation, surgery to remove the mass in her left lower lung, and 4 more rounds of chemotherapy. After returning to work, Laura developed headaches. An MRI showed more than 10 brain tumors, confirming metastatic spread to the brain. She started alectinib after it became available, but liver toxicity interrupted treatment and brain tumors grew. Over the following years, Laura needed brain radiation, emergency brain surgery with additional surgeries, and later treatment for actionable MET amplification. She received alectinib with capmatinib, then further radiation when several brain tumors grew. In 2022, one brain tumor was surgically removed, while another was too intertwined with motor function to remove fully and showed MET and EGFR amplification. A later loratinib/capmatinib attempt caused severe neurologic toxicity, requiring dose reductions and speech therapy. Laura continued advocacy through her “Die, Cancer, Die” campaign. She passed away on July 14, 2024.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Lung Cancer Research Foundation. 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.