Customized cancer care gives South Florida woman hope after Stage 4 diagnosis
MIAMI - All over the world, doctors and researchers devote their careers to finding a "cure" for cancer.
But even without an official "cure," people are beating the disease and going on to live long, healthy lives every single day.
That's thanks to treatment options like the ones offered at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami.
One local woman is defying the odds — beating the same cancer that claimed her parents' lives — all because of the "customized care" designed specifically for her.
Despite her diagnosis, Sherrie Smyth still has a positive attitude.
"I've had a beautiful life and I will continue to live a beautiful life and I will fight and I will stay positive," she said.
Smyth's health issues began in 2022 after a bout with COVID-19. Initially diagnosed with allergies and then asthma after dealing with shortness of breath for months, she kept pushing for more answers.
The once-active tennis player eventually ended up at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center's Lennar Foundation Medical Center in Coral Gables and got the news she'd be dreading.
"On March 16th, 2023, two days after my daughter turned 15, I received the news: inoperable stage four lung cancer. It had metastasized to both adrenals and to my brain," Smyth recalled.
At 57 years old, she had already lost both of her parents to lung cancer.
But, that didn't mean she was expecting — or accepting — the same outcome for herself. She didn't even want to know her prognosis.
"My mindset at that point was already in fight mode. I'm going to win. I'm not giving up. I'm going to have hope. I'm going to have faith," Smyth said. "I'm going to be the strong individual that I know that I am and I challenged the doctors."
Doctor Lawrence Negret and the team at Sylvester faced that challenge head-on.
"When I first started taking care of lung cancer patients, it was a prognosis of 9 to 12 months when patients had stage four lung cancer. And we really treated patients almost all the same," Negret said.
Now, Negret said a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence, thanks to the discovery of "molecular markers." He calls them the fingerprint of the tumor, which helps doctors customize care for each patient.
A year and a half after diagnosis, Smyth's scans look great. A combination of radiation followed by chemotherapy and immunotherapy meant specifically for her cancer, has led her to remission. Because of those unique cancer "fingerprints," finding a one-size-fits-all cure is a tall order.
"I hear this all the time. 'Why can't we find a cure for cancer?' And I usually try to explain that it's like a car," Negret said. "You can't fix say your BMW with the parts of a Mercedes. They're completely different tumors. The fingerprints are really unique in the patients."
Negret said he has other patients responding as well to treatment as Smyth has.
She might be the first in her family to survive lung cancer, but Smyth said she's hopeful this type of personalized treatment will save many more lives.
"I owe my life to Dr. Negret. I owe my life to Dr. Kubichek. I owe my life to these nurses," she said. "I will always make it my mission to spread my story to anybody who will listen."
Smyth plans to celebrate "ringing the bell" after her final chemo treatment with a big party in December.
After that, she wants to return to the Dolphins Cancer Challenge in February to continue to raise money for research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Our team at CBS News Miami will be running and riding right along with her!