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Anyone out there living with stage 4 lung cancer?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: 8 minutes ago | Replies (186)Comment receiving replies
I have recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 non small cell lung cancer with EGRF AND AXON 19. It’s stage 4 because it has spread just outside the right lung. I also have a lump in my breast which is separate. Yes 2 separate cancers. As I wait for a treatment decision on my breast.. I have just started Tagrisso. Chemo is also recommended for my lung.
My questions are: has anyone had long term success on Tagrisso without chemo? Or is the chemo necessary? I will probably have to decide by mid June
Thanks
Replies to "I have recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 non small cell lung cancer with EGRF AND..."
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Hi @marydel , Welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm sorry that you are having to face both cancers at the same time. I'm sure it's a lot to take in and process.
Each of our cancers are different, and the statistics are helpful, but they aren't YOU. There are certainly people that have long term success with only Tagrisso, longer than the median number of months shown in the studies.
Tagrisso alone was the original plan when the med was developed, but the FLAURA2 study looked at adding chemo to Tagrisso, with encouraging results. In just 2024 the FDA approved the combination of Tagrisso and chemo for advanced NSCLC. Because that was fairly recent there are fewer stories from people on the combination.
One of our valued members, Matthew @flusshund, has been taking Tagrisso for nearly five years. You can read some of his story here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1303814/.
The second cancer certainly makes things complicated. I have stage 4 lung cancer and had surgery for 1B breast cancer late last year. The breast cancer treatment may help make your decision about the chemo. Do you have an oncologist that will help to coordinate the treatments for both cancers?