Stage IV KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Maureen's Patient Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- KRAS mutation
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Not reported
- Treatment
- surgery and radiation
- Outcome
- Living With Cancer
Treatment course, step by step
- Initial Stage I NSCLC diagnosed in May 2015 after CT follow-up.
- Surgery was performed in July 2021 after progression.
- Radiation therapy was given in December 2021, when she was told she had Stage IV lung cancer.
- No drug regimen is named.
What happened, in summary
Maureen’s lung cancer was found by accident. After an infection, she had a CT scan that showed a spot on her lung. She was told to follow up in 6 months, and in May 2015 she was diagnosed with Stage I non-small cell lung cancer. For several years, the cancer story appeared to be early-stage. That changed in July 2021, when Maureen had surgery because the cancer had progressed. In December 2021, she received radiation therapy and then heard news that felt devastating: she had Stage IV lung cancer. The fear was especially personal because her father, uncle, and aunt had all died within 6 to 9 months of learning they had Stage IV disease. Testing found a KRAS mutation. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted-therapy drug names were not shared. Maureen became active in lung cancer advocacy, including LCRF and KRAS Kickers, and supported federal lung cancer research funding. She also joined a Free to Breathe Walk in New York City. Living with Stage IV KRAS-mutated lung cancer, she focused on family, hope, and the goal of being present for her 3 daughters and future grandchildren.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Lung Cancer Research Foundation. 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.