Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Valerie'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
- Treatment
- surgery, radiation and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- Lobectomy in March 2012; 3.5 weeks of radiation for a 2017 recurrence; an unnamed EGFR-targeted therapy after the March 2019 Stage IV diagnosis, with stable disease for more than 20 months.
What happened, in summary
Valerie Brown had symptoms for several months before a CT scan found an abnormality in her lung. A needle biopsy confirmed lung cancer, and she underwent a lobectomy in March 2012. Recovery was painful, but she reached five years with no evidence of disease and believed lung cancer was behind her.
In 2017, imaging after an accident found a recurrence near the area of the previous surgery. Valerie received three and a half weeks of radiation and returned to surveillance. When she became ill again, she researched her options and sought a second opinion. In March 2019, the new team diagnosed Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma with an EGFR exon 19 deletion. She started an unnamed targeted therapy and remained stable for more than 20 months.
Connecting with other people taking the same treatment changed how Valerie lived with cancer. Online groups and virtual meetups developed into close friendships with women who understood scan anxiety and long-term treatment. She became a lung-cancer advocate and LifeLine buddy, helping newly diagnosed patients find information and community. For Valerie, survivorship included both living with Stage IV disease and offering others the support that had helped her.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by LUNGevity. 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