Stage IV Lung Cancer: Cynthia's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Cynthia Hess had long dealt with neck problems, but this pain was different. Rest, pain medication and chiropractic care did not help. After a doctor visit and X-rays, she learned the cause was Stage IV lung cancer that had spread to her spine. The neck pain was essentially her only lung cancer symptom, but it became so severe that even brushing or moving her long hair hurt. In March 2017, Cynthia came to Cleveland Clinic for treatment and met a team focused on spine tumors. Her tumor was close to the spinal cord, where untreated disease could cause disabling pain, nerve injury or paralysis. Instead of traditional surgery, multiple hospital stays or conventional radiation over days to weeks, her team recommended stereotactic spinal radiosurgery, or SRS. The noninvasive outpatient procedure uses narrow radiation beams and 3-D targeting to concentrate a high dose on the tumor while limiting exposure to healthy tissue. Cynthia had one preparation visit and then the treatment about 2 weeks later. The procedure took less than 1 hour, and she felt only slight warmth while positioned on the treatment table. Two months later, MRI showed the spine tumor had no blood flow and had stopped growing. As of October 2018, Cynthia’s neck pain had gradually subsided, and future MRI scans were planned to make sure the tumor stayed controlled.