Stage IV ALK Lung Cancer: Shauna's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- ALK-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Both lungs
- Treatment
- targeted therapy and radiation
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- Urgent-care X-ray found a right-lung mass after a lingering cough
- Biopsy and imaging confirmed Stage IV lung cancer with a right-lung primary and many nodules in both lungs
- Biomarker testing came back ALK-positive
- Started a first TKI/targeted pill at full dose, then needed dose reductions for slow heart rate and lung inflammation
- At half dose, side effects improved and the cancer still responded, with the original tumor shrinking about 40%
- She later returned to full dose and stayed on the first TKI for about 5 years
- Targeted radiation treated small areas of left-lung growth in 2022 and 2023 while she stayed on the same TKI
- After more small growth, she switched to a newer TKI around August and latest scan was stable
- Specific drug names were not stated; trials were discussed for the future.
What happened, in summary
Shauna had just turned 51 when a cough lingered for months after a respiratory illness. During a lunch break, she went to urgent care, where an X-ray showed a mass in her right lung. A needle biopsy and scans followed, including brain MRI, PET, chest CT, and abdomen imaging. The cancer was Stage IV because there was a primary tumor in the right lung and innumerable nodules in both lungs. Within a few weeks, biomarker testing showed the cancer was ALK-positive. Shauna started a first TKI at full dose. Early side effects included bradycardia and pneumonitis, so her oncologist lowered the dose. At half dose, the side effects improved and the treatment still worked; the original tumor shrank about 40%, and the disease stayed stable. She later returned to full dose and remained on that first TKI for about 5 years. She never had no evidence of disease, but stability gave her time with her family and grandchildren. Around 2022 and again in 2023, she had radiation to target small areas of growth in the left lung while staying on the first TKI. After more small growth, she switched to a newer TKI around August. As of September 2025, her latest scan was stable, and clinical trials were a future consideration rather than a current treatment.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
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. Read the full disclaimer