Yvonne Diaz’s experience with lung cancer – The Institute of Cancer Research
The Institute of Cancer Research posted on LinkedIn about recent paper by Yvonne Diaz, titled “We still want more time – that’s the role of research” published on The Institute of Cancer Research.
Author: Yvonne Diaz
“‘We still want more time. That’s the hope and the role of research.’
Yvonne Diaz was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in August 2021.
‘I first went to my GP because I’d been coughing quite a lot. I assumed it was caused by seasonal allergies, and even when I really started with the coughing, it took me a couple of months before I did call the doctor.’
‘By then, I was finding it hard to speak and I had pressure in my chest. My GP sent me for an x-ray to be safe. I am so lucky she did, because it turns out I had lung cancer.’
Following her diagnosis, Yvonne had a biopsy to determine the type of lung cancer. Her consultant called to tell her it was ‘good news’: she had an ALK gene mutation, which meant that it was highly treatable.
Yvonne was matched to a targeted treatment which is working to keep her healthy.
But without the biomarker testing, she believes her cancer story could have been quite different.
Yvonne now raises awareness for biomarker testing to become the standard of care in diagnosis assessments, to ensure patients are matched to the most effective treatments.
‘Many lung cancer patients like me get diagnosed at stage 4 when we are very unwell and the cancer is advanced. This makes being matched to the right treatment crucial. It also gives us the most precious gift of all – time.’
This World Lung Cancer Day, please support us so we can help more patients with hard-to-treat cancers like Yvonne – by continuing to make more discoveries, find more cures, and save more lives.
Read Yvonne’s story in full and learn how you can support our research.”