Hello Maureen, @mmusselman01, I'm sorry to hear that you are stage IV. There are too many of us! I'm stage IV, ALK positive, similar to EGFR but a different cell mutation.
When you or your doctor talk about the statistics, remember that they are just statistics, there are many people that are out-living those statistics. The numbers are lagging behind the reality of today. In the ALK world, the people diagnosed this year have access to treatments and drugs that didn't exist when I was diagnosed 4 years ago. Likewise the people in the statistics didn't have access to the same drugs that have been successful for me.
Keep up the positive outlook, try to find an oncologist that is knowledgeable and keeps up to date with the latest in research. Our lives depend on it.
Have you had your first scans after starting the Tagrisso? Are they showing improvement or stable status?