Markey patient credits screening, clinical trial for continued survival

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2023) — Calvin Mabson had been getting routine annual lung cancer screenings for two decades. As a lifelong smoker, the retired Richmond resident understood that with each passing year, the screening results could bring bad news. 

“I've always known it was a possibility that I would get lung cancer, especially as I was getting older and continuing to smoke,” said Mabson. “Each year, when the scans would come back negative, I’d consider myself lucky. I figured one day, that might not happen.”

In August 2021, that day finally came. Mabson’s annual lung cancer screening revealed a spot on his lungs, which led to a diagnosis of stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer at the age of 75. 

Mabson had been smoking since the 1960s — reaching a peak of nearly three packs a day. He’d dialed it back since then but was never able to kick the habit. Until that day.

“I quit smoking cold turkey that same day,” Mabson said. “I wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis, but there’s something about hearing those words ‘you have cancer.’ It made me sick. I never thought about picking up another cigarette again.”

A cancer diagnosis is so powerful, it is often referred to as a “teachable moment.” Mabson is proof that whenever that moment happens, it can never be too late.  

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the U.S., with non-small cell lung cancer comprising about 85% of all cases. 

One of the reasons lung cancer is so deadly is that it often does not cause any symptoms until it reaches advanced stages. Screenings are recommended for people who are at high risk so that it can be caught in early stages when treatments are more likely to be effective.

According to University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center medical oncologist Zhonglin Hao, M.D., Ph.D., at stage 4, Mabson’s cancer is often not treatable, but some options were still on the table.

If Mabson had avoided screening and waited until he developed symptoms, that may not have been the case.

“With a stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma, Mr. Mabson’s initial prognosis was very poor, with a heavy tumor burden in the lung and accumulating fluid that made his left lung non-functional,” Hao said. “It was a very aggressive cancer and we needed to do every option that was available.”

Those options started with chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Mabson received chemotherapy combined with pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug that helps keep cancer cells from suppressing the immune system.

In addition, Hao presented another option: Mabson’s diagnosis and planned treatment regimen made him a good candidate for one of the clinical trials available through the UK Markey Cancer Center. 

“Dr. Hao was honest with me and didn’t make any promises,” Mabson said. “But for me, participating in that program was an easy choice to make, considering how serious my prognosis was. I didn’t have a lot to lose, but the opportunity provided something I could potentially gain — and that was more time.”

Mabson enrolled in one of the KEYMAKER trials, which includes another new immunotherapy agent that shows potential for its ability to boost the immune system’s response to pembrolizumab.

He began treatment soon after diagnosis. Mabson received regular infusions at UK’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital, where he once worked on the neonatal and pediatric emergency transport team. 

“It feels strange to be here under these circumstances and as a patient, but my care team here has helped me feel right at home,” Mabson said. “I know I’m in good hands. I have an entire care team meeting to discuss my individual case and best course of treatment.”

Mabson’s multidisciplinary care team at Markey includes Hao and pulmonologist Ashish Maskey, M.D, who together provide critical supportive care and procedures leading to speedy tissue and molecular diagnosis essential for treatment decisions.

He says the team has also helped guide and encourage him through the ups and downs that come with treatment.  

“Initially, the chemo side effects were hard,” he said. “Dr. Hao and his team would make sure to tell me, ‘You have to eat, you have to get up, and you have to move around.’ So I tried to do it, and then the more I did it, the better I got.”

And it just kept getting better from there, Mabson says.

Today, more than 18 months after getting what he thought was a fatal diagnosis, treatment has halted cancer’s spread and the tumor in his lungs can no longer be seen on scans. Hao says that in the past, patients with Mabson’s diagnosis would be expected to survive a year on average.

“I’m not going to lie, it was rough at times,” Mabson said. “But to get to the point that I am now, it was all worth it.”

As medical director of Markey’s multi-center cancer research unit, Hao says he has seen so many patients like Mabson benefit from clinical trials. 

Markey has more open clinical trials than any other cancer center in the region. And with Markey’s status as a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center — the only one in Kentucky — patients like Mabson have access to leading edge treatment options offered only at NCI centers.

“I encourage patients to be open to clinical trials and the opportunities they offer. They can have extraordinary benefits,” Hao said. “Patients like Mabson are also helping to advance the next generation of cancer treatments.” 

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Mabson is continuing treatment in the trial, which he credits for his continued survival.

These days, he’s enjoying retirement — relaxing, working on his home, and spending time with his wife, family, friends and neighbors.

Mabson wants his story to encourage others to get screened, especially Black men, who are disproportionately impacted by lung cancer. 

“I truly believe that I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t get screened,” he said. “This clinical trial and treatment wouldn’t have been an opportunity. If you meet the requirements, it’s so important to get screened every single year. And if you’re still smoking, there’s always time to quit. I’m proof that it’s not too late.”

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Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults who have no symptoms, but who are at high risk for developing disease because of their smoking history and age. Low-dose CT screening is recommended if you meet all of these criteria:

• Adults age 50–80
• Have a 20 “pack year” or more smoking history — this equates to an average of one pack per day for 20 years or two packs per day for 10 years. (A “pack year” is a way to quantify tobacco exposure.)
• You currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years

The UK Markey Cancer Center offers a Lung Cancer Screening Program. Get more information about the program here, or contact the program coordinator at 844-726-5864 (844-SCN-LUNG) or lcsp@uky.edu.