Etoposide: 66 Real Stories

Stage III Testicular Cancer: Felipe's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Felipe Soltero, Male, Under 40 | Stage III

Biomarkers: alpha-fetoprotein elevated; lactate dehydrogenase elevated

After surgery and BEP chemotherapy for Stage III metastatic testicular cancer, Felipe was cancer-free for more than 1 year as of October 2022.

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Immature Ovarian Teratoma Followed by Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Biomarkers: AFP 67.6 ng/mL; CA-125 89 at presentation

After 4 cycles of chemotherapy, her neurological deficits fully recovered and she could walk independently, with mild stuttering improving through speech therapy.

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Metastatic Gastric Cancer Causing Severe Hormone-Related Complications

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: HER2 negative; Ki-67 70%; CD56 positive; synaptophysin positive; weak chromogranin expression; ectopic ACTH secretion; elevated serum chromogranin A

Metastatic Site: liver

His liver metastases enlarged despite carboplatin, and his weight loss, appetite, and mobility worsened. He received palliative care during a later admission and died a few days afterward.

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Severe headache during chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

After the regimen change, he completed five chemotherapy cycles, remained free of severe headache, and had improvement in chest pain, cough, and breathing.

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Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with acquired haemophilia

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s

Biomarkers: Synaptophysin weakly positive; Ki-67 greater than 90%.

Her small cell lung cancer remained stable on imaging one month before her death, which followed aseptic meningitis after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

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Small-Cell Lung Cancer First Appeared as Rapidly Worsening Nerve Damage

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s

Biomarkers: Anti-Hu-positive; anti-CV2/CRMP5-positive; anti-SOX1-positive

Despite six cycles of carboplatin and etoposide and intensive treatment for the paraneoplastic neuropathy, her neurological condition progressed; after a thrombocytopenia-related brain haemorrhage, she entered palliative care and died within weeks.

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Late-onset mania revealed advanced small cell lung cancer

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

Biomarkers: ACTH-producing tumor with ACTH 776 pg/mL and morning cortisol 206.8 micrograms/dL.

Metastatic Site: right lung; liver

He died a few months after diagnosis from aspiration pneumonia and multiorgan failure in the setting of rapidly deteriorating stage IV small cell lung cancer.

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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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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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Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma Complicated by Severe Nivolumab Pneumonitis

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

Biomarkers: Microsatellite stable; low tumor mutation burden; PD-L1 70%

His severe nivolumab-related pneumonitis improved after infliximab.

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Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer Causing Severe Cushing Syndrome

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

Biomarkers: Ectopic ACTH secretion with markedly elevated ACTH and cortisol

Metastatic Site: liver|bones

The cancer and hormone syndrome progressed after an initial response, and he died after cardiopulmonary arrest 1 year after diagnosis.

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Small cell lung cancer presenting with spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: liver

He developed rapidly worsening encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, cyanosis and mottling and died before planned chemotherapy could be started.

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Small cell lung cancer found after severe digestive and neurologic symptoms

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 50s

Biomarkers: ANNA-1 positive at 1:61, 440; neuronal acetylcholine receptor antibody 0.05 nmol/L

His speech and strength improved with treatment, and PET/CT 4 months after the initial assessment showed no recurrent or metastatic lung cancer.

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Stage I Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumor in a 19-Year-Old

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

She was continuing adjuvant chemotherapy 4 months into treatment without major reported complications.

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Mixed Ovarian Germ Cell Cancer in an 18-Year-Old

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40

At both 3-month and 6-month follow-up, she had no evidence of recurrence.

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Ovarian Dysgerminoma Treatment Followed by Bleomycin-Related Skin Changes

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40

A 23-year-old woman treated for ovarian dysgerminoma developed persistent streak-like skin darkening after bleomycin-containing chemotherapy.

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Rare Ovarian Choriocarcinoma Treated With Surgery and Chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, Under 40

Her hCG level normalized during chemotherapy, and she remained without evidence of disease 5 years after diagnosis.

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Recurrent Ovarian Cancer With Severe Kidney Injury During Long-Term Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s

Despite severe chronic kidney disease, later chemotherapy produced some regression of the progressing ovarian cancer with each sequential regimen.

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