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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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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, ALK Inhibitor, bevacizumab (Avastin), Biphosphonates, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, lorlatinib (Lorbrena), Lung Cancer, Metastatic ALK-Positive, Monoclonal Antibody, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Patient Stories, Radiation Therapy, Targeted radiation therapy, Targeted Therapy, Treatments, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI), zoledronic acid (Zometa) -
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Camila’s Stage 4 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Was Misdiagnosed for a Year
Camila B, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4 (Oligometastatic), KRAS G12V, PD-L1 Symptoms: Coughing up blood, mild fatigue Treatments: Surgeries (tumor resection, lobectomy), chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy (stereotactic body radiotherapy), targeted therapy
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Stage 4 Melanoma: Supporting Each Other When Cancer Progressed
Megan & Justin C., Melanoma Patient (Megan) and Care Partner (Justin), 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,…
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Chelsea’s Bump on Her Temple During Pregnancy Turned Out to Be Leiomyosarcoma
Chelsea S., Leiomyosarcoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Painless bump on the temple with a stinging sensation, a small lump near the pelvis Treatments: Surgeries (excisional biopsy, wide excision surgery, excision of pelvic recurrence), chemotherapy (doxorubicin and trabectedin)
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How Alicia Pushed for Answers When Her Ocular Melanoma Spread to Her Liver
Alicia M., Ocular Melanoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Peripheral vision loss, loss of balance resulting in falling, unexplained 15-pound weight loss Treatments: Radiation therapy (gold plaque brachytherapy), chemotherapy (melphalan), upcoming dual immunotherapy
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At 23, Summer’s Osteosarcoma Started as Knee Pain That Wouldn’t Go Away
Summer K., Recurrent Osteosarcoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Primary Cancer: Soreness and inflammation of the right knee; Recurrence: Appearance of nodules and tumor in lung, and lump on side Treatments: Primary Cancer: Chemotherapy, surgeries (limb-salvage surgery (proximal tibia replacement with gastrocnemius flap), proximal tibia arthroplasty); Recurrence: surgeries (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) wedge lung resection, subcutaneous…
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“Always Have Hope”: Tiffany’s Stage 4 EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer Experience
Tiffany F., Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4 (Metastatic), EGFR+, T790M Symptoms: Immense fatigue, over 70 pounds of unintentional weight loss, migraines and ocular migraine, vision changes, seizure Treatments: Surgery (craniotomy), radiation therapy (CyberKnife), targeted therapy (erlotinib, osimertinib)
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From Pneumonia to Stage 4 ALK-Positive Lung Cancer: How Jennifer Learned to Push Back and Speak Up
Jessica 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)
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Jade Thought She Had Appendicitis; When She Found Out It Was Stage 4 Appendix Cancer, Her World Changed Forever
Jade F., Appendix Cancer (Appendix Adenocarcinoma with Mucinous Features), Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Constant pain on the right side, constipation, bloatedness, exhaustion Treatments: Surgeries (appendectomy, hemicolectomy, hepatectomy, cytoreductive surgery or CRS), chemotherapy (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC, FOLFOX)
