Biomarker Testing: 14 Real Stories
14 stories match biomarker testing. 10 of them mention targeted therapy.
Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Clara’s Patient Story
Clara was living with Stage IV lung cancer when a difficult stretch of treatment nearly made her stop. She had already completed 7 rounds of chemotherapy and 10 rounds of radiation. During the summer, she also received immunotherapy, and August scans brought…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren was 31, raising a young son, when fatigue, back pain, chest/rib pain, and widespread joint pain became impossible to ignore. Early emergency-room visits did not find the cancer; she was treated for pneumonia and then evaluated for other possible…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patient Story
This anonymized patient reflected on more than 10.5 years of living with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. She was diagnosed in 2014 after a local clinic completed about 2 weeks of testing and told her she had Stage IV cancer. At first, her local doctor…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Jill’s Patient Story
Jill Feldman’s story is part patient experience and part education about lung cancer biomarkers. She was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, when biomarker testing was still much more limited than it is today. Her cancer was initially Stage I, and…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Samantha’s Patient Story
Samantha was an active hiker and outdoor adventurer when a mild cough and chest pressure after a trip to India led to a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. She had never thought lung cancer was likely because she was a nonsmoker and very health-conscious. At…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer Patient Story
Elsa Lankford became a caregiver when her wife was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at age 49. The recommended screening age had been lowered from 50 to 45 only 2 months earlier. They already feared cancer, and the diagnosis was confirmed while Elsa’s…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Ivy’s Survivor Story
Ivy E. was 47 when neck pain and trouble straightening her elbow led to an unexpected Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. Doctors first thought the symptoms might be an overuse injury. Imaging of the elbow showed a mass involving the joint and bone. After…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jena’s Patient Story
Jena Sica was 25 when rectal bleeding and fatigue led to a colonoscopy and a diagnosis of Stage IIIC colon cancer in 2020. Her care included biomarker testing, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and surgery. Jena used her experience to emphasize…
Read this storyStage III MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Kelly’s Survivor Story
Kelly was 28 when she was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. She had a 5 cm ulcerated tumor, and the standard path discussed at first would have included chemotherapy, chemoradiation, and surgery. That plan carried major concerns for her, including…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Tiffany’s Patient Story
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…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Shyreece’s Patient Story
Shyreece Pompey’s Stage IV lung cancer care changed when biomarker testing opened a different treatment path. She had first been placed on a chemotherapy cocktail. Later, testing showed that a targeted therapy pill was an option, though the mutation and drug…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story
Rhonda and Jeff Meckstroth met while working at a fire station in rural Ohio and built a life together on a farm. During harvest season in 2015, Jeff developed a persistent dry cough. He was soon diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and was told he might have…
Read this storyStage III KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Terri’s Survivor Story
Terri Conneran was 55 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIA KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Her symptoms first looked like asthma, allergies, bronchitis, or pneumonia, but breathing problems kept getting worse. An X-ray done after she developed…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Bill’s Patient Story
Bill Smith had no symptoms when a routine preoperative physical in 2010 led his doctor to order a chest X-ray and refer him to a lung specialist. He was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. A full-body scan also found 2 tumors in his brain, and he had gamma…
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