Dad able to look to future after biomarker testing, targeted drug therapy treat his Stage 4 cancer
These days, Michael Hu is able to look to the future thanks to advances in lung cancer research and treatment.
Three years ago, it was a different story.
The father of two was 43 years old with a vibrant life and family when he felt something was wrong.
"Just really sharp pain in my side. I couldn't take a regular breath in without it hurting," he said.
A trip to the emergency room led to a series of tests and a startling discovery.
"They found lesions in the background of my liver and eventually in other parts of my body," Hu said.
It was Stage 4 cancer — the most advanced stage of the disease — in his liver, lungs, pancreas, bones and brain. It was later determined to be lung cancer, though Hu isn't a smoker.
"You're in this shock of where your world falls apart, and you're trying to just put things back together," Hu said.
Dr. Chris D'Avella, a thoracic medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, examined Hu during that first ER visit. Today, D'Avella still oversees Hu's care.
"We have had a rise in non-smoking-related lung cancers. And what we know is that there are certain targetable mutations, so mutations in the tumor that drive its growth," D'Avella said.
Hu's immediate thought after hearing his diagnosis was his young kids.
"That was probably the first thing that came to my mind," he said. "Not even me being sick, but what it means for my family."
Thankfully, breakthroughs in research, advanced biomarker testing and sequencing led to targeted drug therapy that proved effective.
"The thing that's been game-changing is that the amount of people that have shrinkage with the drug can be close to 80-90%," D'Avella said.
Today, despite some setbacks, Hu is still able to look forward to the future. He continues advocating for more research and resources for lung cancer treatment.
"Knowing that there's so much more on the horizon, it's exciting, but also for a patient like myself, it can't come fast enough," he said.
On Saturday, Hu will take part in the American Lung Association's Lung Force Walk at the Philadelphia Zoo. He said he walks with hope that one day, a cancer diagnosis "will be met with relief, knowing effective treatments are available."
Learn more about the Lung Force Walk and get involved at Lungforce.org/CBSPhiladelphia.
