Genomic Testing Guides Treatment for Patient With Lung Cancer

Heather Quintana Suchan, a mother living with stage 4 lung cancer, is using her platform to encourage other patients to pursue biomarker testing and genomic profiling early in the diagnostic process, saying treatment decisions should be personalized, not one size fits all.

She explained that even within her exon 20 mutation, there are variations, making genetic testing essential to identify the right therapy. After testing at City of Hope, she began targeted treatment with Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjw), which she said is working well with minimal side effects. She now urges patients to ask questions, understand their reports and remember they can still live full, active lives during treatment.

Transcript

How are you using your platform to educate other patients about the necessity of biomarker testing and genomic profiling early in the diagnostic process?

I think that it’s so important to know your biomarkers and do the genetic testing. This cancer is not one size fits all, and even within exon 20, which is the mutation that I have, there are variations within exon 20. Until you do that research, you need a recommendation based on that to know what’s going to be the best course of action for you.

So in my case, I now know that my body responds very well to Rybrevant. It’s working for me, and my side effects are pretty minimal on that medication. But for someone else, they may have a little bit of a different story. The point is, you can’t know that unless you do the testing. It’s absolutely the most important thing.

In fact, on that first day when I went to City of Hope, it felt like they unlocked the magic by going through my genetic report to make a recommendation that was specific to me. So yeah, I do think it’s very important. Everybody’s an individual.

And I do agree that a positive attitude helps everything. You just have to keep going. It will be a journey, and it may curve a little bit now and again. But the point is that you can live a very healthy and full life. I plan to live to be an old lady, so let’s keep going.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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