Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Leah's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- EGFR exon 19 deletion
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- bone (spine, pelvis); malignant right pleural fluid/effusion
- Treatment
- targeted therapy, radiation and procedure
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Early in diagnosis, thoracentesis procedures drained cancer-related fluid from the right lung area
- Tagrisso/osimertinib started December 30, 2019 for EGFR exon 19 deletion
- Routine PET/CT scans monitored response
- In late 2021, 8 SBRT radiation sessions treated the right middle-lobe primary tumor
- Daily Tagrisso continued ongoing.
What happened, in summary
Leah Phillips was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer at age 43 in December 2019. Her first symptoms were a persistent dry cough, chest heaviness, shortness of breath, fatigue, weight loss, and later coughing up blood. Several visits were treated as post-viral cough, asthma, allergies, or pneumonia before she pushed for more testing.
A CT scan showed concerning bone lesions, and hospital testing found malignant fluid around her right lung. A bone biopsy from her spine confirmed non-small cell lung cancer. Biomarker testing then showed an EGFR exon 19 deletion, which changed her treatment path.
Leah started Tagrisso/osimertinib on December 30, 2019. Early on, she also needed repeated thoracenteses to drain fluid. She transferred care to Vanderbilt and had regular PET and CT scans. About 1 year into treatment, her bone metastases in the spine and pelvis were described as healing or sclerotic, and the primary right-lung tumor had shrunk by about 70%. In late 2021, she had 8 sessions of SBRT radiation to the right middle-lobe lung tumor.
As of July 2024, Leah continued daily Tagrisso. Her Stage IV cancer was stable, with no reported progression, and she emphasized self-advocacy, second opinions, and trusting symptoms when they do not fit routine explanations.
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.