When Richard Simpson complained of an unusual and sudden pain in his shoulder, he got an X-ray, but it didn’t indicate what was wrong. When the pain persisted, doctors ordered a CT scan. Soon after, the 76-year-old Bowling Green resident got a concerning call from his doctor: the scan showed a tumor in the upper lobe of his right lung.
He was immediately referred to an oncologist at The Medical Center at Bowling Green. That’s where he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in December 2022.
Trust in his treatment
At Simpson’s first appointment with Med Center Health oncologist Catherine Heltsley, M.D., he learned he might be a candidate for a new kind of treatment that targets the DNA mutations in his tumor. He’d need to have a biopsy and biomarker testing to find out.
Heltsley ordered a genomic analysis, which was sent to the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center’s Molecular Tumor Board for review. There, a team of experts met to discuss the genetic profile of his case and recommend a treatment.
The Medical Center at Bowling Green is part of the UK Markey Cancer Center Research and Affiliate Networks. The collaboration with community hospitals across Kentucky gives cancer patients access to the latest treatments and clinical trials closer to home.
“I knew right away I was in good hands with Dr. Heltsley,” Simpson said. “And with the hospital’s partnership with Markey, I was confident I was getting the best care currently available anywhere.”
Testing results showed the tumor had a mutation affecting the mesenchymal-epithelial transition, or MET, gene. MET mutations are found in only about 3% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and are more common in older patients and nonsmokers.
“It was exciting news,” Heltsley said. “MET mutations are associated with cancer growth, but there are medications available that can target them and stop the cancer from spreading.”
“It sounds crazy to say when you’re faced with a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, but I felt really lucky,” said Simpson. “It was a blessing to just have some hope there was a treatment out there that might work.”
Simpson started a targeted therapy called capmatanib (Tabrecta) in February 2023. Within weeks, the pain in his shoulder – caused by the tumor compressing nerves and blood vessels – was gone. By April, the tumor was gone, too. A scan showed no signs of cancer.
“He’s had an excellent response,” Heltsley said. “Results like this are rare for someone who isn’t receiving targeted therapy. If we were just using standard chemotherapy, they would be unheard of.”
“I’ve watched some friends go through chemo and deal with horrible side effects, and I’m happy to avoid that, especially at 76 years old,” Simpson said. “Right now, this treatment is giving me a good quality of life, which is more than I could have hoped for. I never even had to leave Bowling Green for an appointment, and I’m extremely thankful for that. At The Medical Center at Bowling Green, I knew I was getting the same care here that I’d get in Nashville, or Lexington or any of the nation’s top cancer centers.”
To learn more about cancer care at Med Center Health, visit MedCenterHealth.org/cancer.
-submitted by Med Center Health
