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A Family's Path Forward with Genomic Profiling: Cory's Story

November 26, 2024    Posted by: Eli Lilly and Company

A white male is sitting outside and leaning on a wooden rail.

Navigating an Unexpected Diagnosis in the Family

In 2020, Cory's father was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock to everyone. Cory's dad was fit, active, with no known health issues, and never smoked—a stigma that has followed lung cancer for decades.  

Cory knew there were going to be challenges ahead of them—emotionally and physically. Cory's father was concerned he'd have to step away from the things he loves, such as volunteer work, hunting, fishing and spending time with family. Facing this news, Cory quickly began to navigate his own emotional challenges brought on by his father's diagnosis, but he also knew that he needed to be there and show up for his father and his family.

How Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Paved a Path to Treatment

Cory's wife, an oncology nurse, and his brother, an anesthesiologist, both became important figures in Cory's support system throughout his father's diagnosis and treatment. When he learned of his father’s diagnosis, Cory began to do his own research to help inform early conversations with his dad’s health care providers. He had no idea there were tests that could help identify mutations or alterations that drive someone''s cancer, but his wife did. She also knew there are certain barriers to getting these tests, which drove her and Cory to advocate for his father to receive comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) prior to initial treatment. 

CGP is an important part of precision medicine—an approach to medical care in which an individual's differences are taken into account in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. CGP is the most thorough type of biomarker testing that looks for alterations in the DNA of a patient's tumor cells to better understand the genomic drivers of lung cancer and inform targeted treatments options.

Getting CGP allowed Cory's father to make informed decisions and helped identify the right path forward for treating his type of lung cancer. 

Shining a Light on the Potential of Comprehensive Genomic Profiling

While actively managing cancer, Cory's father continues to stay busy and is focusing on things in life that bring him joy, like spending more time with his grandkids. As a caregiver, Cory encourages those living with lung cancer and their loved ones to take an active role in treatment decisions from the beginning.  

Alongside the lung cancer community, Lilly is working to educate on the importance of timely CGP to inform early treatment decisions for people like Cory's dad and is committed to decreasing barriers to testing.

Watch the video to learn more about Cory’s story: