Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lenny's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Biomarkers
- PD-L1 expression positive
- Sex
- Male
- Spread to
- right femur; brain/cerebellum
- Treatment
- surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Surgery removed the right-femur tumor and placed a 15-inch metal rod
- CyberKnife radiation treated a cerebellar brain lesion
- Treatment included Keytruda/pembrolizumab plus Alimta and carboplatin
- Chemotherapy later stopped because of side effects
- Keytruda continued for about 3.5 years, then stopped after liver and kidney enzyme toxicity
- Later scans showed no measurable tumors/NED.
What happened, in summary
Lenny was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in November 2019. He had never smoked. His first warning signs were a change in his walking, pain in his right leg, and later coughing and wheezing that felt different from his usual mild asthma.
Testing found 2 walnut-sized tumors in his left lung that were not operable. Scans also showed a tumor in his right femur, which explained the leg pain, and an MRI found a lesion in the cerebellum of his brain. His team moved quickly. He had a 4-hour surgery to remove the femur tumor and place a 15-inch metal rod to protect the bone. He then had CyberKnife radiation to the brain lesion.
Lenny’s systemic treatment combined Keytruda/pembrolizumab with Alimta and carboplatin. His biomarker testing showed PD-L1 expression, which supported the use of Keytruda. Chemotherapy was later stopped because of side effects, and he continued Keytruda alone for about 3.5 years. Treatment was eventually stopped after liver and kidney enzyme problems.
After about 2.5 years on treatment, his doctor told him there were no measurable tumors. As of July 2024, Lenny described himself as having no evidence of disease and now mentors other people with cancer.
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.