Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Natasha's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- EGFR-positive
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- brain
- Treatment
- targeted therapy and radiation
- Outcome
- Setback / Progression
Treatment course, step by step
- Chemotherapy and surgery were initially planned
- Restaging found 3 brain metastases, so the treatment plan changed
- Started Tagrisso/osimertinib 2 days later
- Tagrisso was continued because it can reach the brain and was hoped to control the main tumor
- Later brain MRI during restaging found a new brain metastasis, meaning Tagrisso was not fully controlling brain disease
- New brain lesion was treated quickly with Gamma Knife
- Follow-up brain MRI was pending.
What happened, in summary
Natasha, a primary school teacher from Yorkshire, England, was diagnosed with EGFR-positive lung cancer in January 2023 after months of cough, hoarse voice, and squeaky breathing. She was active and had never expected lung cancer, especially as a nonsmoker, so the early findings were first approached as possible tuberculosis or infection. Imaging eventually showed a lung tumor about 6.5 cm across. She was initially being prepared for chemotherapy and possible surgery, but the plan changed the day before chemotherapy was supposed to start. Because she had begun having headaches, her team added brain imaging during restaging. It showed 3 brain metastases, moving her diagnosis from Stage III to Stage IV. Natasha started Tagrisso, also called osimertinib, 2 days later. She felt hopeful because the drug targets EGFR-positive lung cancer and crosses the blood-brain barrier, making it relevant for both the lung tumor and brain metastases. She dealt with side effects including skin problems, brain fog, and anxiety around 3-month CT scans and brain MRIs. Later, during restaging to see whether surgery might be possible, a new brain metastasis appeared, showing that Tagrisso had stopped fully controlling the brain disease. The new lesion was treated quickly with Gamma Knife. As of May 2025, Natasha was continuing Tagrisso while waiting for the next brain MRI.
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