喵咪社区

As an athlete, a nonsmoker and a health devotee, Linda Kneidinger was shocked to be diagnosed with lung cancer.

At 54 years old, Linda Kneidinger was in prime shape. An avid athlete who regularly ran 10Ks and half marathons, played numerous sports and maintained a healthy diet, Linda had always been in excellent health.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been the person to whom doctors would give a 鈥榞old star,鈥� telling me my health was great,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was fortunate to grow up with healthy habits, in part because my dad was a family physician.鈥�

When Linda was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2024, she 鈥� and her family and friends 鈥� were shocked. 鈥淚 do not have a family history of cancer at all,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e never smoked. If someone was going to get lung cancer, no one suspected that I鈥檇 be the one.鈥�

Linda鈥檚 primary care physician gave her a shortlist of medical specialists to consult. Linda chose Graeme Rosenberg, MD, a thoracic surgeon with 喵咪社区 Surgery and the 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of 喵咪社区.

Lung cancer without symptoms

Linda鈥檚 lung cancer was discovered by chance. In May 2024, Linda鈥檚 primary care physician sent her to get a calcium CT scoring test to measure the level of calcium in her coronary arteries because her cholesterol levels had risen. It was on this CT scan that the physician noticed an abnormality in Linda鈥檚 lungs and referred her to a specialist.

Linda says she knew Dr. Rosenberg was her first and only choice once she met him.

鈥淎 lot of people told me I should get at least two, maybe three, different medical opinions, but as soon as I met Dr. Rosenberg, I just felt like this was the right person,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the one who confirmed there were several markers indicating the possibility of cancer in the right middle lobe of my lungs.鈥�

After ordering and reviewing the results of a PET scan, a pulmonary function test, a transbronchial biopsy (removal of some lung tissue) and a sample of her lymph nodes, Dr. Rosenberg confirmed that Linda had non-small cell lung cancer.

The cancer was still at an early stage (1B), and Dr. Rosenberg performed a lobectomy to remove Linda鈥檚 right middle lobe in July 2024 at Keck Hospital of 喵咪社区.

Linda explains why she opted for surgery. 鈥淒r. Rosenberg is aggressively pro-health and knew how important health was to me. This is why he suggested being aggressive with treatment and going with surgery,鈥� she says.

鈥淪he recovered really well at home, and relatively quickly,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg adds. As a testament to Linda鈥檚 grit, he mentions that she ran a 5K race just two and a half months after her lobectomy.

Rising trend among nonsmokers

Linda is among a growing number of relatively young, healthy, nonsmoking adults 鈥� particularly women 鈥� being diagnosed with lung cancer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a common misconception that lung cancer is a smoker鈥檚 disease,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg says. 鈥淚n fact, I treat more nonsmoking lung cancer patients than smoking-related lung cancer patients these days. It鈥檚 been a trend over the last 10 to 15 years.鈥�

Short of detecting lung cancer by luck, detecting it in nonsmokers is especially difficult, 鈥渂ecause most lung cancers are asymptomatic until they鈥檙e in an advanced stage,鈥� he says.

Linda, like many nonsmoking lung cancer patients, didn鈥檛 present with any apparent risk factors or symptoms. It was later determined that Linda had an EGFR gene mutation, which is a mutation commonly linked to lung cancer and most often found in nonsmoking women at a younger age.

Fortunately, EGFR is one of the gene mutations for which a specific, targeted drug has been developed. A month after her lobectomy, Linda was prescribed the daily oral drug to prevent her cancer cells from multiplying.

She will continue taking it for three years and will be monitored long-term by both Dr. Rosenberg and 喵咪社区 Norris medical oncologist Jorge Nieva, MD.

鈥淲hen you identify a gene mutation for which there is a targeted therapeutic,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg says, 鈥渙ur surgeons, medical oncologists, pathologists and radiation oncologists then have the option of considering, in a multidisciplinary fashion, whether to pursue that additional therapy.鈥�

Because Linda鈥檚 tumor was early-stage, her treatment plan focused on this daily oral medication and not chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation. 鈥淭hose decisions were made based on her specific pathology,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg says. 鈥淣one of her lymph nodes showed positive cancer signs, so our focus turned to addressing her genetic mutation.鈥�

Drug advancements for lung cancer

While great progress is being made in developing gene-specific drugs for lung cancer patients, more work also needs to be done to screen for and detect lung cancer early on in patients not obviously at risk of the disease.

鈥淲e need to continue investigating the independent risk factors we can use to plan screening protocols,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg says.

Also, he adds, if lung cancer is suspected, seeing a specialist is important.

鈥淚f an abnormality is found on a patient鈥檚 imaging 鈥� imaging that was obtained for some other reason 鈥� you need either a thoracic surgeon, a pulmonologist or someone with expertise in lung pathology to help decide on next steps, because these can be very complex.鈥�

Dr. Rosenberg says Linda鈥檚 outlook is good. 鈥淭his was identified early and was treated aggressively,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he had favorable pathology both in that the cancer was early-stage and not in the lymph nodes, and she had a mutation that we have a drug for.鈥�

Linda says she鈥檚 grateful for the care she received from the entire medical team at Keck Medicine.

鈥淒r. Rosenberg speaks my language,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e has a positive mindset and assured me before surgery that if, by the end of the year, I wanted to run a half marathon, I could.鈥�

She adds: 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for the way everyone at Keck Medicine operates as a team. I鈥檝e read so many stories on social media about lung cancer patients having a hard time getting information from one doctor, then having to give the information to another doctor, and going back and forth.

鈥淎t Keck Medicine, this was all taken care of for me. They even coordinate appointments for me. It feels really nice to know there are other people out there advocating for you.鈥�

Interested in supporting the work of Keck Medicine?聽

Topics