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At 19, Every Nurse Told Taylor She Was Too Young for Rectal Cancer; She Wasn’t
Taylor M., Rectal Cancer, Stage 3C Symptoms: Irregular bowel movements, rectal bleeding Treatments: Clinical trial (radiation therapy and chemotherapy), chemotherapy, surgeries (ovarian transposition (oophoropexy), total proctocolectomy with ileostomy, hysterectomy)
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A Sharp Pain Before a Family Trip Led to Kathy’s Stage 4 ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Kathy B., Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4 (Metastatic), ALK+ Symptoms: Jaw pain, back pain, pain in sacrum, unexplained cough, loss of voice Treatment: Targeted therapy (lorlatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor)
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Kelsey’s Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma or PMBCL) Diagnosis
Kelsey S., Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma, Stage 4 Symptoms: Bulging jugular vein, vasovagal fainting episode, shortness of breath, dry cough Treatments: Chemotherapy, filgrastim
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JJ Was 27 and Thought He’d Beaten Colorectal Cancer. Six Weeks Later, He Learned It Had Spread.
JJ S., Colorectal Cancer, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Throbbing in the abdomen that he thought was a pulled muscle, indigestion, not wanting to eat, appearance of blood in stool, rapid and unexplained weight loss (four or five pounds a week), skin turning gray, sleeping 12 to 14 hours a night Treatments: Surgery (resection of tumor),…
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Brooke’s Small Cell Ovarian Cancer Story: Chemo, Stem Cell Transplant, and Life After
Brooke M., Small Cell Ovarian Cancer, SMARCA4+ Symptoms: Bloating, abdominal pain, small abdominal lump, fatigue, inability to stand upright Treatments: Surgery (oophorectomy), chemotherapy (including hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC), autologous stem cell transplant
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Living With Stage 4 Melanoma: How Megan Found Her Groove Again
Megan C., Melanoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Itchy mole on the back that changed color and texture, escalating pain in the hip, lower back, and leg Treatments: Surgeries (wide excision of mole, removal of 10 lymph nodes from right armpit, orthopedic hardware surgery in the femur), immunotherapy, radiation therapy
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Tyler’s Thymic Carcinoma Diagnosis Started With What He Thought Was a Golf Injury
Tyler L., Thymic Carcinoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Dull pain in the upper abdomen that progressed to sharp, constant pain, referred pain at the tip of the shoulder (related to the phrenic nerve) Treatment: Chemotherapy
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Diagnosed With Stage 4 Melanoma: A Mole on Megan’s Back and Two Recurrences
Megan G., Melanoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Mole on the spine that grew, hurt under pressure, and broke open, appearance of a new spot near tailbone, hip pain, appearance of a lump in groin lymph nodes Treatments: Surgeries (bilateral sentinel lymph node removal, skin graft), double immunotherapy (clinical trial), chemotherapy
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Justin on Life as a Melanoma Care Partner After His Wife’s Cancer Metastasized
Justin C., Spouse of Megan C., Melanoma Patient “I don’t know that I would be able to go through the things that she endures. I know she has to, and she does it, but she does it with a smile.”
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The Financial Cost of Lung Cancer Treatment: Jennifer’s Almost Two Years of Self-Advocacy
Jennifer W., Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4 (Metastatic), ALK+ Symptoms: Left-sided rib pain, fatigue with the need for daytime naps, interruptive and persistent cough Treatments: Radiation therapy (targeted radiation), targeted therapy (alectinib, lorlatinib), monoclonal antibody (bevacizumab), biphosphonate (zoledronic acid), chemotherapy (upcoming)
alectinib (Alecensa), ALK Inhibitor, ALK-Positive NSCLC, bevacizumab (Avastin), Biphosphonates, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, lorlatinib (Lorbrena), Lung Cancer, Metastatic ALK-Positive NSCLC, Monoclonal Antibody, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Patient Stories, Radiation Therapy, Targeted radiation therapy, Targeted Therapy, Treatments, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI), zoledronic acid (Zometa)
