Mifepristone Extends Both Length and Quality of Life in a Patient with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer that Has Progressed despite Chemotherapy and a Check-point Inhibitor

Abstract

Case Report: Case 1 of an investigator-initiated study using oral single agent mifepristone to halt stage IV non-small cell lung cancer whose tumor was devoid of any targeted markers has remained ECOG zero and in good health for over 3 years. Case 2, reported here, is a 68-year-old woman with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer whose tumor was positive for the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) marker. Her cancer progressed despite treatment with a check-point inhibitor (nivolumab), besides 3 rounds of multi-agent chemotherapy. After 1 ½ years of treatment with single agent mifepristone, her cancer remains stable (even some tumor regression) and her quality of life is only impaired by her pre-existing chronic obstructive lung disease, not her cancer. Conclusion: Mifepristone therapy may provide a method to halt metastatic lung cancer positive for the PD-L1 marker when check-point inhibitors are no longer effective.