Stage III HER2-Positive Occult Breast Cancer With a Complete Response to Treatment

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

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Surgery after neoadjuvant treatment found no residual tumor in the breast or 20 examined lymph nodes, indicating a complete pathologic response; HER2-targeted therapy continued afterward.

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Stage II HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Fever and a Reversible Brain MRI Lesion After Radiotherapy

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-positive

After radiotherapy, fever, neutropenia, headache, and a reversible splenial brain lesion resolved with supportive and antibiotic treatment during her postoperative breast-cancer treatment course.

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Stage IV KRAS Breast Cancer: Lauren's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lauren, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS mutation in colon cancer context

Metastatic Site: Abdominal lining; spine

As of September 2024, Lauren was living with a history of Stage IV colon cancer and recurrent metastatic breast cancer in the spine, with low colon tumor markers, recurring spinal spots, and PET scans every 3 months.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Lourdes's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lourdes Monje, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: lung

Lourdes is receiving investigational treatment through a clinical trial, with manageable side effects, while continuing to work and spend time with family and friends.

Stage IV KRAS Colorectal Cancer: Lauren's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lauren Bimage, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Patient-reported KRAS-mutated colon cancer

Metastatic Site: chest; abdominal/peritoneal lining; spine/back

As of September 2024, Lauren was living with both Stage IV breast cancer and Stage IV colon cancer. Colon cancer markers were described as low/normal, while biopsy showed the persistent back/spine disease was breast cancer.

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Stage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lindsay's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lindsay Wagner, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ALK-positive mutation / ALK rearrangement

Metastatic Site: brain; liver; bone; kidneys; lungs;…

As of September 2024, Lindsay was still on lorlatinib/Lorbrena with her lungs, liver, and kidneys described as stable, while isolated brain/bone areas were treated with radiation and monitored.

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Stage 4 breast cancer: ongoing treatment with multi-line chemotherapy

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: hormone receptor-negative; HER2 2+. 2011 recurrence: ER 10%; PR 70%; HER2 2+.

Metastatic Site: pleura/pleural effusion; lung

Metastatic breast cancer with malignant pleural effusion achieved complete response after chemotherapy and long-term endocrine therapy; PET-CT in October 2023 still showed complete response, with ongoing cardiac and bone-health management.

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Pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine cancer treated with airway procedures and pembrolizumab

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

Biomarkers: EGFR negative, ALK negative, ROS1 negative, TP53 negative, PD-L1 <1%, TMB 28.3 mut/Mb

Metastatic Site: bilateral lungs

Pembrolizumab-based treatment produced a complete remission, but multiple intrapulmonary metastases recurred in October 2021 after an 18-month progression-free interval. Further local airway treatment was performed and pembrolizumab continued.

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Stage 0 Colorectal Cancer: Tracy's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Tracy Robert, Female, 40s | Stage 0

Biomarkers: Chemotherapy metabolism gene variant reported; exact gene not stated

As of August 2024, Tracy was a long-term survivor. After chemoradiation and surgery, pathology showed Stage 0/no remaining cancer, and no recurrence was reported.

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Stage 4 lung cancer with brainstem metastasis: complete remission on chemotherapy

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

Metastatic Site: pons, right parietal lobe, brain

Stage IV NSCLC with pontine and right parietal brain metastases achieved complete remission after 2 years of chemotherapy with an anti-VEGF drug; the pontine lesion remained stable, and severe SRS-related central neuropathic pain improved after methadone escalation.

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Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kristie's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kristie, Female

As of August 2024, Kristie was focused on survivorship and advocacy after extensive ILC treatment that included 20 weeks of chemotherapy, 25 radiation treatments, 2 years on Verzenio, estrogen blockers, and 5 surgeries.

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Stage 4 lung cancer: immunotherapy plus particle therapy halts progression

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 90%; high tumor mutational burden; PIK3CA ; TP53 mutation; MET mutation

Metastatic Site: left proximal femur

Stage IV oligometastatic NSCLC had good CT response to carboplatin, pemetrexed, and pembrolizumab, then no disease progression 6 months after PULSAR radiotherapy plus pembrolizumab; grade 2 pneumonitis improved with prednisone.

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Triple-negative breast cancer: partial response to immunotherapy combination

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

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER-negative; PR-negative; HER2-negative; Ki-67 >80%

Metastatic Site: left lung, neck lymph nodes, mediastinal lymph nodes

Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer had a partial response after 9 months of pembrolizumab plus MK-4830, with reduced tumor burden, decreased lung and mediastinal metastases, and no new metastatic lesions; immunotherapy continued after prednisone controlled a grade 2 lichenoid eruption.

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Right-Sided Ductal Carcinoma in Situ Before a Second Breast Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2 1+

A woman treated for right-sided ductal carcinoma in situ in 2018 later developed a separate invasive cancer in the opposite breast.

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HER2-Positive Breast Cancer That Spread to the Cervix

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

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; ER and PR less than 1% in the left breast tumor

Metastatic Site: cervix, esophagus, mediastinal lymph nodes

Cervical metastasis showed a local complete response after brachytherapy, but systemic disease later progressed to the esophagus. She died after 4 months of nutritional support and palliative treatment.

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Seven-year response journey in EGFR-mutated metastatic lung adenocarcinoma

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

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation

Metastatic Site: pleura, brain

About 7 years after presentation with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, he remained on targeted therapy. Gefitinib controlled the disease for 5 years; after brain progression, osimertinib followed by stereotactic radiation produced a complete intracranial response.

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Stage 1 EGFR lung adenocarcinoma treated with radiotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage I

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; other common drivers not detected.

Stage IB EGFR exon 19 deletion lung adenocarcinoma was treated with definitive radiotherapy because of fragile condition after spinal cord infarction; at 5 months, the lesion showed no significant change and there was no recurrence or radiation pneumonitis.

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Lung squamous cell carcinoma spreading to bone and intestine

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

Biomarkers: PD-L1 positive in almost all tumor cells

Metastatic Site: bone (left femur), intestine, abdomen

Despite chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation, the lung cancer progressed with intestinal and extensive abdominal metastases, cachexia and gastrointestinal bleeding. Palliative care was planned, but he chose discharge and received no further treatment.

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Rare acinic cell breast cancer treated with mastectomy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40

Biomarkers: Triple-negative; pMMR/MSS; Ki-67 very high. TP53 and several other mutations reported; no gene fusion/rearrangement found.

Alive for 43 months with no metastasis or recurrence after surgery, 8 cycles of epirubicin/cyclophosphamide, and radiotherapy for breast acinic cell carcinoma with high-grade solid transformation.

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Stage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jessica's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jessica, Female, 40s | Stage I

Biomarkers: Myriad genetic testing negative; Oncotype DX score 19; RSClin recurrence risk 19%; isolated tumor cells around 1 sentinel lymph node without invasion

As of July 2024, Jessica had completed bilateral mastectomy for Stage IB ILC and was moving forward with radiation and long-term hormone suppression after chemotherapy was not recommended.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Samantha's Patient Story

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

Biomarkers: Hormone-positive breast cancer; specific receptor details not reported

Metastatic Site: bone: rib, spine, pelvis

As of July 2024, Samantha was living with Stage IV hormone-positive breast cancer with bone metastases. Current treatment was working in most areas, but a breast tumor continued to grow and was surgically removed; ongoing treatment and 3-month scans were reported.

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Colorectal Cancer: Jay's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jay Reese, Under 40

Biomarkers: Lynch syndrome

After a full colectomy in February 2012, Jay did not need further surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy and continued close surveillance because of Lynch syndrome.

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Stage 3 lung cancer: complete response to chemo and immunotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 70+ | Stage III

Biomarkers: Tumor markers were normal during mesorectal nodule workup; lung molecular biomarkers were not reported.

No radiologic NSCLC recurrence was detected during 16 months of follow-up after complete response to cisplatin/docetaxel chemoradiation plus 1 year of durvalumab; the suspicious mesorectal nodule proved to be a benign organized thrombus.

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HR-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: bone metastases managed with sequential endocrine therapy

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

Biomarkers: ER 90%+, PR 80%+, HER2-. CA 15-3 was tracked during treatment.

Metastatic Site: skull base; spine; sternum; ribs; left iliac bone;…

Metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer remained under active management; after earlier progression, palbociclib plus fulvestrant and zoledronic acid produced stable/remission findings on PET/CT at 3 months and again 1 year later, with continued 3-month follow-up recommended.

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