Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jennifer's Survivor Story
This lung cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Sex
- Female
- Spread to
- Collar bones; shoulder blades; femur; pancreas; adrenal glands; brain
- Treatment
- immunotherapy, radiation and surveillance
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- Had a severe reaction to an unnamed local treatment
- MD Anderson recommended tarlatamab-dlle, described as a targeted immunotherapy drug
- Tarlatamab infusions began in March 2025
- After 3 rounds, many lesions had shrunk or disappeared
- More than 40 brain lesions later developed, including 2 becoming tumors
- Received 14 whole-brain radiation sessions over 3 weeks in summer 2025
- Tarlatamab resumed afterward and continued every other Monday
- Scans were planned every 3 months at MD Anderson.
What happened, in summary
Jennifer Robertson was 46 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV small cell lung cancer in fall 2024. The diagnosis came after severe hip pain revealed a broken hip bone, and a bone marrow biopsy showed the fracture was caused by cancer. PET imaging found a hidden lung tumor beneath her breastbone. Scans also showed spread to her collar bones, shoulder blades, femur, pancreas, and adrenal glands. Jennifer first sought care locally, but a severe reaction to an unnamed treatment left her afraid to continue there. At MD Anderson, her oncologist suspected the reaction was linked to a particular immunotherapy drug and recommended tarlatamab-dlle, a newer targeted immunotherapy option for advanced small cell lung cancer. Jennifer began tarlatamab infusions in March 2025. After 3 rounds, scans showed many lesions had either shrunk or disappeared. Then brain disease appeared quickly: more than 40 lesions were seen, and 2 were becoming tumors. Her team arranged 14 sessions of whole-brain radiation over 3 weeks in summer 2025, then restarted tarlatamab. By August, her scans were clear except for a few tiny spots described as dead tissue. As of February 2026, she had shown no evidence of disease since then, while continuing tarlatamab every other Monday and returning to MD Anderson every 3 months for scans.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by MD Anderson. 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.