Fatal Bowel Infection After the First Chemotherapy Cycle for Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-amplified

Nine days after the first TCH cycle, she developed fulminant febrile neutropenia and Clostridium septicum sepsis with extensive bowel ischaemia; despite emergency treatment and resuscitation, she died 4 hours after hospital arrival.

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Pleomorphic lung cancer responding to pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 tumor proportion score >75%; EGFR negative; ROS1 negative; ALK fusion negative

Metastatic Site: right 8th rib, left adrenal gland

His general condition improved as the tumors shrank, and he remained well 7 months after diagnosis with maintenance pembrolizumab planned.

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Early metaplastic breast cancer treated alongside a separate lung cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage I

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative.

At 24 months, breast MRI showed no recurrent breast cancer after surgery and six cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin.

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Multifocal stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma responding to nivolumab

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage III

Biomarkers: CK7-positive; TTF-1-positive; napsin-A-positive; PD-L1 85% positive.

The biopsied lung nodule nearly resolved after four nivolumab cycles, and the remaining pulmonary nodules were stable at 24 months.

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Triple-negative breast cancer developing beside a large breast cyst

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage II

Biomarkers: ER negative; PR negative; HER2 negative; Ki-67 >50%; p53 negative for overexpression, triple negative

She recovered after treatment with no clinical evidence of regional or distant recurrence.

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More than 10 years living with relapsing extensive-stage small cell lung cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Chromogranin-positive.

Metastatic Site: pleura; pancreas; left kidney and perinephric region

After five treatment lines and several metastatic relapses over more than 10 years, his latest irinotecan and carboplatin course produced another partial response and he was doing well at the last follow-up.

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Small cell lung cancer found through a disabling paraneoplastic neuropathy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s

Biomarkers: Anti-CRMP5 antibody-positive.

She completed chemotherapy and radiation and entered oncology follow-up, while the disabling sensory and motor neuropathy persisted and rehabilitation continued.

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Dramatic chemotherapy response in stage IIIB triple-negative breast cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage III

Biomarkers: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; BRCA1-negative; BRCA2-negative; germline FLCN c.1285delC associated with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome; tumor TP53 p.T150fs.

Eighteen months after surgery, she had no recurrence following a dramatic chemotherapy response, bilateral mastectomy, chest-wall radiation, and adjuvant capecitabine.

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Osimertinib rechallenge after severe pneumonitis in Stage IV lung cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M mutation

Metastatic Site: pleura, liver, bone, leptomeninges

She initially regained a significant response after osimertinib rechallenge without recurrent pneumonitis, but developed progressive leptomeningeal disease after 11 months.

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Employee, ovarian cancer survivor: Why I chose MD Anderson

Patient Info: Angela Hernandez, female, Under 40 | Stage III

She had been cancer-free since January 2019 after surgery and 4 rounds of carboplatin and etoposide.

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Reversible Heart Dysfunction After FLOT Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Her speech recovered within hours and heart function returned to an ejection fraction of 65% within 1 week. Gastric-cancer treatment continued with carboplatin and paclitaxel.

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Stable Brain Metastases During Niraparib Maintenance for Ovarian Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: CA-125 4019 kU/L; pathogenic germline BRCA1 mutation

Metastatic Site: brain

After 17 months of niraparib, her brain metastases remained stable. She had a performance status of 0 and reported a full, normal quality of life.

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Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma with early chest metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: lungs, distant lymph nodes

Twelve months after chemotherapy began, the metastatic chest lesions had not progressed and showed minor regression.

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Osimertinib Improved Spinal Cord Metastases in Long-Standing Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial surgical specimen: no detected EGFR mutation and ALK-negative. Later pleural-fluid tumor: acquired EGFR T790M mutation with no other detected EGFR mutation.

Metastatic Site: cervical and mediastinal lymph nodes; bone; brain;…

Osimertinib improved neurologic function and kept the lung cancer stable for 14 months; he later died from bacterial pneumonia.

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Rapidly Progressive Stage IV Lung Adenocarcinoma With a Miliary Imaging Pattern

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: TTF-1-positive; p40-negative; chromogranin-negative; synaptophysin-negative; EGFR-negative; ALK-negative; ROS1-negative; PD-L1 expression 5%–10%.

The cancer progressed rapidly, and he died approximately four months after diagnosis while being transported to inpatient hospice.

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Ovarian Cancer Relapse Causing Fluid Around the Heart

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: PAX8 positive; CK7 positive; WT1 positive; p53 positive; ER positive; PR negative; isolated PMS2 loss; MSH2 retained; MSH6 retained; MLH1 retained; two BRCA1 variants of uncertain significance

Metastatic Site: omentum|pericardium

She was alive after completing chemotherapy for the pericardial relapse and was receiving olaparib maintenance. The fluid around the heart did not recur immediately after the surgical window.

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Hormone Problems During Nivolumab Treatment for Advanced Lung Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR/ALK/ROS1/BRAF wild type

Metastatic Site: abdominal wall|brain

She was living with Stage IVA lung cancer after about 1 year of nivolumab. Thyroid levels normalized after levothyroxine adjustment, and continued endocrine monitoring was planned for treatment-related pituitary dysfunction.

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Lung Cancer Treatment Complicated by Atezolizumab-Related Pneumonitis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation not detected; BRAF mutation not detected; ALK rearrangement not detected

The cancer progressed after chemoradiation. Atezolizumab was stopped because of pneumonitis, and he later began pemetrexed after a right adrenal mass became highly suspicious for malignancy.

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A Rare Airway Lung Cancer in a 31-Year-Old Woman

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40 | Stage I

A 31-year-old non-smoker had a rare high-grade lung tumor that obstructed a bronchus after 2 years of cough, wheezing, and breathlessness.

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Stage IV Ovarian Cancer With Severe Recurrent Ascites

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: peritoneum|liver

The cancer progressed with massive ascites, liver involvement, and respiratory failure. She died from multiorgan failure related to metastatic ovarian cancer.

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Durable brain and leptomeningeal response to pembrolizumab in Stage IV lung cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 high positive; EGFR negative; BRAF negative; KRAS negative; ROS1 negative; ALK negative

Metastatic Site: right adrenal gland, left sixth rib, brain,…

After 29 pembrolizumab cycles over 20 months, imaging showed no leptomeningeal disease, resolution of 3 brain lesions and marked reduction of the dominant frontal lesion; she remained neurologically intact and radiographically stable.

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Advanced Ovarian Cancer Presenting With Dermatomyositis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Biomarkers: CA-125 3169 at diagnosis; later CA-125 rise with progression

After a partial response to second-line chemotherapy, nodal disease progressed again 5 months later and liposomal doxorubicin was planned.

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Ovarian Cancer With Pleural Spread and Recurrent Dermatomyositis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Metastatic Site: pleura

She had symptomatic improvement after 2 cycles of carboplatin and liposomal doxorubicin for recurrent disease.

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Recurrent Ovarian Cancer With Dermatomyositis and Peritoneal Progression

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Her disease progressed during weekly paclitaxel, and she was considered unfit for further treatment.

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