Targeted Therapy: 720 Real Stories

720 stories match targeted therapy. 488 of them mention chemotherapy.

Cancer Stories

Leslie, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Invasive Lobular CarcinomaBreast Cancer

Stage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Leslie's Patient Story

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

Metastatic Site: Bone: spine, ribs, pelvis

Leslie was diagnosed at 56 with de novo metastatic ILC after an initial Stage II biopsy result was revised to Stage IV when MRI showed numerous bone metastases, and her cancer was well controlled on targeted drugs as of February 2024.

Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
Dena, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast CancerBreast Cancer

Stage IV BRCA Breast Cancer: Dena's Patient Story

Patient Info: Dena Ofengeim, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Hormone receptor-positive; BRCA mutation

Metastatic Site: spine

Dena improved rapidly after treatment, regained her mobility, returned to an active life, and remained on therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

Dana-Farber
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

EGFR-mutated stage IV lung cancer complicated by radiation lung injury and severe COVID-19

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

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation; TP53 mutation

Metastatic Site: bone

Osimertinib produced a significant reduction in the lung lesions. She remained alive at the last follow-up in July 2023 after recovering from severe COVID-19 and treatment-related lung complications.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
Ivy, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung CancerLung Cancer

Stage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Ivy's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Ivy E., Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR mutation

Metastatic Site: Bone: elbow, cervical spine/neck, rib, pelvis; brain

As of January 2024, Ivy reported no evidence of disease 1 year after right upper lobectomy, after years of response to EGFR-targeted therapy for initially Stage IV lung cancer.

The Patient Story
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IV enteric-type lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutations and MSI-high disease

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

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M; MSI-high; high tumor mutation burden; MLH1 mutation; pMMR; PD-L1-negative

Metastatic Site: lung, pleura

The cancer progressed through multiple targeted, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy regimens. He died about 30 months after the initial diagnosis.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
Jason, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal CancerColorectal Cancer

Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason's Patient Story

Patient Info: Jason Reese, Male, 40s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Liver

As of January 2024, Jason still had active Stage IV rectal cancer, but extensive liver metastases had decreased from innumerable lesions to very few visible on scans, and treatment planning continued.

The Patient Story
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Gastric AdenocarcinomaGastric Cancer

HER2-Positive Metastatic Stomach Cancer Presenting With Tumor Lysis Syndrome

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: HER2 positive

Metastatic Site: liver

His metastatic gastric cancer progressed despite FOLFOX6 and trastuzumab. He entered hospice about 1 year later and died a few months afterward.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Invasive Ductal CarcinomaBreast Cancer

Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Treatment-Related Telangiectasias

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

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; initially ER-negative and PR-negative; metastatic disease weakly ER-positive and PR-negative; germline testing negative

Metastatic Site: left supraclavicular, mediastinal, axillary and…

Living with HER2-positive breast cancer for 9+ years since her 2014 diagnosis, including metastatic disease since 2017. She remained on reduced-dose tucatinib in 2023 while treatment-related telangiectasias improved after dose reduction and electrocautery.

PubMed Central
OutcomeLiving With Cancer
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung AdenocarcinomaLung Cancer

Stage IV EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma Responding to Osimertinib

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

Biomarkers: EGFR L833V/H835L mutations; PD-L1 50%; CDK4 amplification; MDM2 amplification

Metastatic Site: contralateral lung, brain

After 3 months of osimertinib, the right upper lobe lesion had decreased and right hilar lymphadenopathy had resolved. The brain lesion remained stable, and subsequent imaging continued to show improvement in the lung lesion.

PubMed Central
OutcomeResponding Well
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Gastric AdenocarcinomaGastric Cancer

Metastatic gastric cancer with an ATM mutation responding to olaparib

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

Biomarkers: Pathogenic germline ATM mutation, HER2-negative, PD-L1 15%

Metastatic Site: peritoneum

He had a deep response lasting about 18 months, but imaging in December 2023 again showed peritoneal carcinomatosis.

PubMed Central
OutcomeSetback / Progression
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Invasive Ductal CarcinomaBreast Cancer

BRCA2-Positive Breast Cancer in a Woman With Down Syndrome

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

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-negative, HER2-negative, germline BRCA2 pathogenic variant

Metastatic Site: lungs, bones

The cancer later progressed with lung and bone metastases and extensive cancer spread through lymphatic vessels in both lungs. She died 59 months after breast surgery.

PubMed Central
OutcomeIn Memory
A patient, who was diagnosed with Breast CancerBreast Cancer

HER2-Positive Mucoepidermoid Breast Cancer With 61 Months Without Recurrence

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; ER low expression; PR-negative

She was alive without signs of recurrence after 61 months of follow-up, providing just over 5 years of documented follow-up for this second primary breast cancer.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED
A patient, who was diagnosed with Stage I Breast CancerBreast Cancer

Five Years Without Breast Cancer Recurrence Despite a Markedly Elevated CA 15-3

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

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

Five years after her Stage I breast-cancer diagnosis, breast imaging and systemic evaluation showed no evidence of recurrence. The markedly elevated CA 15-3 was traced to a separate renal tumor and normalized after nephrectomy.

PubMed Central
OutcomeCancer-Free / NED