Patient Videos

Julie introduces herself as a Stage 4 lung cancer patient who has been living with lung cancer for six years. Due to concerns that her current line of treatment might stop working, Julie decided to enroll in a clinical trial. She recalls proactively researching several clinical trial options and that she became eligible to participate in one of them. She explains that www.ClinicalTrials.gov and contacting other lung cancer patients who have participated in past studies are great resources for finding a clinical trial. By finding clinical trials that matched her specific lung cancer mutation, Julie shared her interest to participate in a trial with her oncologist to get an opinion about whether the specific clinical trial could be an option for her.

Julie shares her experiences with trying to enroll in a couple clinical trials – one in which she did not meet the eligibility criteria and one in which she was accepted to participate in. In both cases, she was in contact with a trial coordinator who reviewed the details of the trial with her, explained eligibility criteria, the potential side effects from the trial medication, the type of monitoring involved, and provided her with informed consent. From her experience and depending on the study, the enrollment process ranged from being lengthy to fairly quick.

Julie shares that she benefited overall from her clinical trial experience. She was regularly cared for by a very supportive team of nurses and clinical trial organizers, who closely monitored how her body was responding to the medications while tracking for any side effects. Julie describes how there were drawbacks in that she was very nervous during her first infusion of treatment, coupled with a very intense first week of tests, treatments, and periods of monitoring. Another drawback for her was the frequency of scans during follow-up sessions. Despite this, Julie tells the great news that her body had a complete response to the trial medication after participating in the clinical trial for almost a year. Although Julie was eventually recommended to leave the clinical trial due to other complications, her clinical trial experience provided her with a year of very good health, and she experienced a positive response to treatment. The drug that was being tested has since been approved by the FDA. Julie feels she was able to impactfully and positively contribute to the clinical study – the findings and results of which will be able to benefit other lung cancer patients in years to come.

Julie wants other patients with lung cancer to know that clinical trials have the potential to offer another option other than the medications which are already FDA-approved. Lung cancer clinical trial participation has so much potential which could impact a person’s life in a very significant way, as well as help others in the future. She understands that there may be fear and anxiety about enrolling in a clinical trial and recommends talking about these concerns with an oncologist to help participants to know that they will receive exceptional care and oversight. Julie shares that she is doing very well on her current line of treatment, and as a backup, is already researching into other clinical trial options. Julie encourages other patients with lung cancer to proactively look ahead and not to wait for a later stage of disease to occur.

Julie describes how she used www.ClinicalTrials.gov as an important resource for research on clinical trials. Knowing her specific lung cancer mutations ahead of time allowed her to narrow down the search of available and eligible trials to those that matched her specific types of mutation. Julie mentions that in her case, a large list of trials were available which made it challenging. To narrow the list down further, she focused on trials by location in her area of the country, as well as eligibility criteria. Following completion of her research, Julie says she next shared her information with her oncologist. After discussing past experiences, possible side effects, and the potential for success or failure, together they reached a decision about which clinical trials to apply for.

Mr. Satterfield describes his early lung cancer symptoms which were excessive coughing and inability to sleep. He went to see the doctor and underwent a chest x-ray. On receiving an x-ray, which revealed a spot on his right lung, his doctor told him he had lung cancer. Mr. Satterfield felt that his faith in God helped him deal with this news. He started chemotherapy in December 2013, but unfortunately experienced side effects of dehydration and was unable to keep food and fluids down for about 2 weeks. He was admitted to hospital until he was able to keep food and fluids down. On returning home he continued to receive radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Mr. Satterfield was later referred to the University of Minnesota to oncologist Dr. Manish Patel, who informed him about participating in a clinical trial.

Mr. Satterfield recalls the informed consent form which he signed. He found it a fairly smooth process, although there was a requirement to send some tissue samples to the clinical trial organizers. There was a delay of about 3 weeks before the trial could begin. Based on his tissue samples and his patient history, he was eligible to join the clinical trial. He followed the trial steps with regular treatments and monitoring. By May 2017, the doctor told him there were no more signs of the cancer in his body.

Mr. Satterfield has no regrets in joining the clinical trial. He is glad he made the decision to come to a Center of Excellence at the University of Minnesota. He was unafraid and just knew that he was going to look for another opinion. His wife, children, and pastor all gave him strength not to be afraid. Despite the potential for side effects, Mr. Satterfield’s message to others thinking about being in a clinical trial is not to be afraid and to not let fear set in.

Mr. Satterfield agrees that the knowledge learned from clinical trials can help all patients, including those in the African American and Black community. His key message to others thinking about participating in a clinical trial is to not be afraid and to not let fear dominate you. After finding a doctor he could place trust in, Mr. Satterfield believes taking part in a clinical trial saved his life.

Carol is a tribal elder from the Mille Lacs Band of the Ojibwe First Nation and a lung cancer survivor. Carol describes her lung cancer diagnosis and treatment journey, which involved a lung resection (surgery in which a section of her lower left lobe was removed) followed by chemotherapy. Carol’s lung cancer is currently in remission.

Lung cancer survivor, Carol, talks about the level of awareness of lung cancer and lung cancer clinical trials in her Native American community. Living in a rural area, she considers that her community has not had the opportunity or exposure to learn about lung cancer clinical trial availability, eligibility criteria, and reasons to join a clinical trial.

Lung cancer survivor and tribal elder, Carol, describes her experiences with clinical trials. She strongly supports research and education and would consider taking part in a lung cancer clinical trial. Carol mentions her concerns about clinical trials from the past and how she had a fear of ingesting medications as part of a research study. However, based on her current situation where she is in remission from lung cancer, she would be willing to try new medications that have the potential to help her live longer and stay healthy.

Carol is a tribal elder from the Mille Lacs Band of the Ojibwe Nation and a lung cancer survivor. She discusses some of the barriers that impact lung cancer clinical trial participation among Native American communities, including long travel times, transportation difficulties, and health services access issues. Other challenges she discusses are the many doctors that need to be seen before getting to a lung cancer specialist, and mistrust of clinical trials due to negative historical and present-day experiences. Carol recommends Native American patients consult with experts and elders in their communities and decide for themselves how they want to approach the matters of traditional medicine and western medicine, to decide if they should be kept separate or can "walk hand-in-hand".

Christi shares about her lung cancer diagnosis journey and the initial treatments she received. Later when it was discovered that her lung cancer had progressed to stage 4, she had comprehensive biomarker testing which revealed she has the EGFR exon 19 deletion lung cancer mutation. It is recommended that biomarker testing happen immediately following diagnosis to determine the best treatment for each patient's unique cancer.

Christi describes what her experience was like having comprehensive biomarker testing for her lung cancer, how the tissue sample biopsy was performed, and what happened during and after the procedure.

Christi discusses her treatment journey and experiences for her EGFR-positive lung cancer. Having the EGFR exon 19 deletion lung cancer mutation qualified her to have the targeted therapy amivantamab. She talks about the treatment successes and challenges she has experienced from taking repeated biomarker testing, which revealed she had additional mutations (FGFR1 amplification, FGF3 mutation, NSD3 amplification, and others).

Chris shares his lung cancer diagnosis journey and talks about the significance of the comprehensive biomarker testing that revealed he has the KRAS G12C lung cancer mutation.

Chris explains what his experience was like having comprehensive biomarker testing for his lung cancer, how long he had to wait for results, and what the overall process involved. After having a liquid biopsy and pleuroscopy, his medical team was able to extract additional tissue samples that confirmed he had the KRAS G12C lung cancer mutation.

Chris discusses his treatment journey and experiences for his KRAS-positive lung cancer. Having the KRAS G12C lung cancer mutation has qualified him to have the targeted therapy adagrasib for his specific mutation. The treatments have slowed down the growth of Chris' lung cancer, allowing him to have a better quality of life with minimal side effects.

Chris shares advice for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients about comprehensive biomarker testing. He firmly believes that biomarker testing is one of the most critical aspects of properly diagnosing lung cancer for patients today and should be done early and often because cancer can mutate and evolve over time. He urges anyone diagnosed with lung cancer to request comprehensive biomarker testing from their doctor.

Terri shares her lung cancer diagnosis journey and talks about her experiences with comprehensive biomarker testing that revealed she has the KRAS G12D lung cancer mutation.

Terri discusses her treatment journey for her KRAS G12D-positive lung cancer. Currently there are no targeted treatments approved for the KRAS G12D lung cancer mutation, but knowing her mutation is important because it provides information on what treatment options are available to her for immunotherapy, surgery, or radiation. She is hopeful about the new treatments that are being researched in clinical trials.

Gary, a lung cancer survivor who had lung cancer surgery, shares how he prepared for lung cancer surgery and discusses what additional preparations would have been helpful beforehand. He says that while he was physically prepared for lung cancer surgery, he did not feel mentally prepared. Gary explains that it would have been beneficial to have had more time to mentally prepare for his surgery, to have known about calming practices for lowering his stress, and to have joined a support group to connect with others who lived through similar experiences.

Gary, a patient who survived Stage 3B lung cancer, shares his advice for others who are preparing for lung cancer surgery. From his experience, he has 5 recommendations: strive to be active every day; manage your stress; get plenty of rest and eat well to help strengthen your body; join a support group to talk with others in similar circumstances; and remain hopeful.

Gracie, whose father had lung cancer, recalls how her father prepared for his lung cancer surgery. He had a strong and active support system, which included his healthcare team and family. As one of her father's primary caregivers, Gracie contributed to him being prepared for surgery by accompanying him to medical appointments, asking questions to his doctor, taking notes, and finding out more information for him when there were concerns.

Gracie, whose father had surgery for Stage 2 lung cancer, shares her advice for others who are preparing for lung cancer surgery. She highly recommends staying informed and being an active part of your treatment, as this will help you feel more confident and hopeful before surgery. She also discusses habits for optimizing your results to lower the chance of your cancer returning over the long term.

Gary, a lung cancer survivor of 14 years, discusses what his prehabilitation plan for lung cancer surgery involved. To build up his physical health, he focused on strength training, cardiovascular exercises, and walking. To benefit his mental health, he used distraction, prayer, and music as activities to put him in the best mood possible. He shares his story in the hope that it will help other people who are preparing for lung cancer surgery.

Gracie, a primary caregiver for her father who survived lung cancer, discusses what his prehabilitation plan for lung cancer surgery involved. His plan included spiritual practices like reflection and prayer, maintaining a healthy diet, and having a daily exercise routine. Before his surgery, her father was given an incentive spirometer to help exercise and strengthen his lungs, as well as chemotherapy and immunotherapy to shrink and prevent the spread of his cancer.