Health
How a targeted drug kept one patient alive 15 years — but failed to save her friends
Publication: STAT
Author: STAT Staff
Source published: 23/10/2026, 08:30:00 UTC
Briefing created: 23/10/2026, 08:56:30 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 23/10/2026, 08:36:24 UTC.
Briefings
A former aerospace engineer named Janet Freeman-Daily was diagnosed with lung cancer and secured a clinical trial spot for a targeted therapy targeting the ROS1 mutation. She received crizotinib, which controlled her cancer for 15 years, and founded The ROS1ders nonprofit. However, the evidence indicates this treatment failed to save her friends, suggesting the therapy may not be universally effective for all patients with the same genetic mutation.
Key points
- Janet Freeman-Daily was diagnosed with lung cancer and secured a clinical trial spot for a targeted therapy targeting the ROS1 mutation.
- She received crizotinib, which controlled her cancer for 15 years, and founded The ROS1ders nonprofit to help other patients.
Context
This case study highlights a rare ROS1 mutation in lung cancer and contrasts a successful long-term treatment for one patient with the failure to save her friends, suggesting the therapy may not be universally effective.
Limitations
Evidence is limited to a single patient's experience; no data on other patients' outcomes, long-term survival rates, or specific failure mechanisms for friends is provided.
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