What happened, in summary

Filipe was 36 when a headache and blurred vision led to a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. A brain MRI showed 7 brain metastases, including a 4 cm lesion at the back of his head. CT imaging and biopsy confirmed lung cancer as the primary. Liver lesions were checked and found to be benign, but cancer was present in his brain, bone and left lung.

His first major treatment was brain surgery about 2 weeks after the MRI to remove the largest brain metastasis. Biomarker testing then showed an EGFR mutation, specifically exon 19, and he started osimertinib. The targeted therapy worked well at first: it cleared 4 brain metastases, cleared bone disease and reduced the lung primary. But after about 3 months, a kidney metastasis appeared. Doctors confirmed it was the same cancer, treated it with argon ablation, and also used SBRT radiation on the active lung primary.

In August 2023, Filipe had severe progression and osimertinib stopped working. He then started amivantamab with chemotherapy by infusion, usually every 3 weeks, sometimes stretched to 4 weeks because of toxicity. As of November 2024, he was living with ongoing Stage IV EGFR-mutated lung cancer, managing rash, nail and scalp side effects, and emphasizing the importance of second opinions and new research.