Craniotomy: 12 Real Stories

Goodie16's Story: Grand Mal Seizure Uncovers Metastatic Breast Cancer in the Brain

Patient Info: Goodie16 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Oncotype DX recurrence score 12; ER, PR, and HER2 results not reported

Metastatic Site: brain

After removal and Gamma Knife treatment of a solitary brain metastasis, Goodie16 had a clear brain MRI in March 2016 and a PET scan showing no evidence of disease in September 2015 while continuing hormonal treatment.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Leftfootforward's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Leftfootforward, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: Brain | Liver

Leftfootforward was diagnosed with Stage IIB HER2-positive breast cancer in 2010 and metastatic brain/liver disease in 2012; after systemic therapy, Gamma Knife, craniotomy for necrotic tissue, partial liver lobectomy, and resumed Herceptin, her latest scans showed no evidence of disease.

BreastCancer.org (ES)Read more →

How Learning To Ask For Help Can Make Life With MBC Easier

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

Biomarkers: Not explicitly reported; HER2-targeted treatment with Herceptin and Tykerb reported

Metastatic Site: Brain; liver

Living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer involving brain and liver; latest scans showed no evidence of disease, and she reported spending most of her Stage IV life in NED status.

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My Metastatic Breast Cancer Spread To My BRAIN!

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

Metastatic Site: brain

As of May 2026, the patient was living with metastatic breast cancer involving the brain, receiving 2 brain-directed chemotherapy infusions every 3 weeks, and describing the disease as chronic rather than a death sentence.

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Stage IV Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-Like Cancer With Pseudoprogression After Immunotherapy and Radiation

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EBER positive; no EGFR, ROS1, RAS/RAF or PIK3CA mutations/fusions detected

Through May 2025, follow-up showed no clear evidence of cancer recurrence or metastasis, with progression-free survival exceeding 70 months.

PubMed CentralRead more →

Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nicola's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Nicola, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: BRAF: wild-type / non-BRAF colorectal adenocarcinoma

Metastatic Site: Brain

As of January 2025, Nicola had been in remission for 9 months after treatment for Stage IV colorectal cancer with brain metastasis and remained under high-risk monitoring.

The Patient StoryRead more →

Lung Adenocarcinoma That Transformed to Small Cell Cancer After Recurrence

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 1%-24%; no druggable driver alteration identified

Metastatic Site: brain, liver

After treatment for the small-cell-transformed recurrence, the liver metastases showed sustained regression and progression-free survival had reached 13 months by September 2024.

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Brain radiation therapy complication (radionecrosis) potentially linked to combined chemo-immunotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: PD-L1 0%; tumour mutational burden 33 mutations/Mb; TP53 mutation at diagnosis; later ctDNA included KEAP1 and NOTCH3 alterations

Metastatic Site: brain; presumed leptomeningeal disease

She recovered completely from surgery for radiation necrosis, resumed cancer treatment and remained neurologically intact at 18 months. She was found deceased 9 months later; the cause of death was unknown.

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A second colon cancer leading to a Lynch syndrome diagnosis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 40s

Biomarkers: Complete loss of MSH2 and MSH6 nuclear staining in the cecal tumor; germline pathogenic MSH2 variant NM_000251.2:c.942+3A>T; Lynch syndrome.

The cecal cancer was treated with complete colectomy, while later presumed recurrences were ultimately identified as meningiomas and metastatic pheochromocytoma; he died after the pheochromocytoma progressed.

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Immunotherapy and surgery for lung adenocarcinoma with two brain metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s

Biomarkers: PD-L1 100%; no actionable mutations on next-generation sequencing.

After brain surgery, radiation, 11 cycles of pembrolizumab, and lung surgery, she was off treatment and under observation in remission.

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Surgery Relieved Eye Symptoms From Metastatic Breast Cancer

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

Biomarkers: Mammaglobin positive; GATA3 positive

Metastatic Site: orbit|lungs|bone (right scapula and proximal humerus)

At six months after surgery, she had improved diplopia and no new symptoms but had declined additional radiation, systemic treatment, bisphosphonate therapy, and hormone therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

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Five Years Without Recurrence After Surgery and Gamma Knife for a Cerebellar Metastasis From EGJ Cancer

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

Biomarkers: CK7 negative, CK20 positive

Metastatic Site: cerebellum

Five years after removal of the cerebellar metastasis and Gamma Knife radiosurgery, she was asymptomatic with no evidence of recurrence.

PubMed CentralRead more →