Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jeff's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- EGFR-positive; exon 19 mentioned
- Sex
- Male
- Spread to
- brain; bones — ribs, femur/hip, clavicle
- Treatment
- targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- Prior atypical cervical-spine cancer/spine mass in 2017 was partly removed surgically, with radiation discussed or given in that earlier context
- In 2021, chest X-ray for a mild positional cough found a large right lower-lobe lung mass
- Later review suggested the mass may have been visible on 2017/2018 scans and might have been operable earlier
- Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer was diagnosed with 5 brain spots and about 7-8 bone spots in ribs, femur/hip, and clavicle
- Radiation and chemotherapy were being considered until biomarker testing came back EGFR-positive, with exon 19 mentioned
- Treatment switched to Tagrisso oral targeted therapy
- Specific chemotherapy or radiation for lung cancer was not described as completed.
What happened, in summary
Jeff had already survived an unusual cancer experience before his lung cancer diagnosis. In 2017, a painful cervical spine mass was first treated as a likely non-cancerous schwannoma, but surgery showed cancer and could not remove everything safely because of risk near blood flow to the brain. Years later, during the COVID period, Jeff went for a routine checkup and mentioned a mild cough that appeared when he lay on his right side. His doctor ordered a chest X-ray, which showed a large mass in the lower right lung. Follow-up scans confirmed cancer, and a later review suggested the mass had been visible on older 2017/2018 scans, when it might have been earlier stage and operable. Jeff was diagnosed in 2021 at age 64 with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. The disease involved 5 spots in the brain and about 7 or 8 bone spots, including ribs, femur/hip, and clavicle. Radiation and chemotherapy were being considered until biomarker testing showed EGFR-positive disease, with exon 19 mentioned. That result changed the plan to oral targeted therapy with Tagrisso. As of March 2025, Jeff was living with metastatic EGFR-positive lung cancer, using his experience to stress biomarker testing, second opinions, and taking the diagnosis one step at a time.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by The Patient Story. 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.