Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Tiffany's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- EGFR mutation
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Bone: pelvis, right femur, cervical spine
- Treatment
- biomarker testing, second opinion, targeted therapy, a clinical trial and surveillance
- Outcome
- Setback / Progression
Treatment course, step by step
- Collapsed lung workup and biopsy led to Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis with bone spread to pelvis, right femur, and cervical spine
- second opinion at MD Anderson and repeat scans
- biomarker testing showed EGFR mutation
- clinical trial with Tagrisso/osimertinib plus Cyramza/ramucirumab IV every 3 weeks, with CT, chest X-ray, and brain MRI monitoring
- treatment break after left lung collapse and liver-enzyme toxicity concerns; cancer grew slightly during break, then treatment restarted
- later worsening CT findings led to a new early-stage clinical trial medicine combined with ongoing Tagrisso; specific new trial drug name not stated.
What happened, in summary
Tiffany was a labor and delivery nurse, Pilates instructor, wife, and mother of twins when shortness of breath and right-sided pain led to a long diagnostic workup during the pandemic. A bronchoscopy was followed by a collapsed lung and hospital stay. Imaging later showed bony disease, and she eventually learned the cancer was Stage IV non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma with spread to the pelvis, right femur, and cervical spine. She sought a second opinion at MD Anderson, where repeat scans and biomarker testing changed the plan. Instead of starting chemotherapy right away, she learned she had an EGFR mutation. Tiffany entered a clinical trial using Tagrisso, which targets EGFR, together with Cyramza, an IV medicine given every 3 weeks. Her monitoring included CT scans, chest X-rays, and brain MRIs because lung cancer can spread to the brain. Treatment worked well for about 1 year, but side effects were real: rashes, sores, headaches, bloody noses, a left lung collapse, and liver-enzyme concerns. During a required medicine break, the cancer grew slightly, showing the drugs were helping control it. Later, a CT scan raised concern that the cancer was worsening. As of March 2023, Tiffany had started a new early-stage clinical trial medicine while continuing Tagrisso, with results still pending.
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.