Shaun’s painful shoulder blades had him going back and forth between his GP and the hospital for three months. It was stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer, and an earlier X-ray had missed it. Nearly five years on, his first targeted treatment is still working, and he’s still working, running and travelling.
Shoulder blade pain and a missed X-ray
Shaun is an accountant and runner from London. In 2022, he spent three months going back and forth between his GP and the hospital with painful shoulder blades. An earlier X-ray had missed the cancer, and when he was diagnosed, it was stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer.
Shoulder and back pain are not the symptoms most people link with lung cancer, but they can be a sign. A clear chest X-ray doesn’t always rule lung cancer out, so if symptoms don’t go away, it’s important to go back to your GP.
Nearly five years on first-line targeted treatment
ALK+ lung cancer is driven by a change in the ALK gene. It is usually treated with targeted tablets called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which can keep the cancer under control for years. The first treatment someone has is called first-line treatment.
Shaun is still on his first targeted treatment, nearly five years after his diagnosis.
“I have no pain, and the side effects of treatment have been very manageable.”
He’s still working and running, and he and his wife have been travelling. His wife is Polish, and this year they’ve been to Poland three times, visiting places even she hadn’t seen before.
Monitoring changes in the brain
It hasn’t all been straightforward. A year ago, an MRI scan showed early signs that the cancer might be growing in his brain. A few small changes have shown up on scans since then, but after a year of monitoring, his team haven’t needed to change his treatment.
Shaun knows that at some point he’ll need stereotactic radiosurgery, a precise, high-dose type of radiotherapy, or a second-line targeted treatment. For now, things are stable.
“The good news is that I’m still feeling strong physically and mentally, and I’ve now been on the same targeted therapy for nearly five years.”
Learning to swim
Shaun and his wife have also taken up something new. Neither of them learnt to swim as children, so they’ve started adult swimming lessons together.
“It’s been fun, a bit challenging, and a reminder that life doesn’t stop with a diagnosis.”
Symptoms of lung cancer to look out for
Shaun’s first symptom was pain in his shoulder blades. Lung cancer symptoms can include:
a cough that won’t go away
breathlessness
chest, shoulder or back pain
fatigue
a hoarse or croaky voice
unexplained weight loss
chest infections that keep coming back
coughing up blood
If you have symptoms that don’t go away, speak to your GP, even if you have never smoked. Find out more in our article Lung cancer early diagnosis saves lives: the facts.
Thank you to Shaun for sharing his story with All You Need Is Lungs again this year. Read Shaun’s full 2026 story.
All You Need Is Lungs is a joint campaign from ALK Positive UK, EGFR+ Lung Cancer UK and the Ruth Strauss Foundation.
