Laura Book

Laura’s survivorship story is a testament to the critical need for expanding policies and practices for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be used in cancer screening and imaging. Diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer eight years ago, she was an early advocate for the use of AI in cancer screenings to identify abnormalities that human eyes can miss.

Initially, Laura’s ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor ordered a chest X-ray revealing a node, after which she was promptly ordered a follow-up CT scan and referred to a pulmonologist with concerns about possible cancer. Despite initial negative results from a bronchoscopy and repeat scans, the node appeared unchanged. Almost a year later, severe neck pain led to the discovery that the node had metastasized. Following surgery, bone replacement, and a biopsy, Laura’s medical providers determined that she had stage IV EGFR-positive lung cancer. She was put on erlotinib, a chemotherapy, and remained on it for three and a half years with very minor progression in the lung which was treated with radiosurgery. However, in 2020, just one week after her CT scan, she began getting headaches due to progression to her occipital bone which was missed in her radiologist report just one week prior. Again, she was treated with radiosurgery and began treatment with osimertinib, a targeted therapy.

As a stage 4 lung cancer patient she gets scans every three months and inspires others through her advocacy work in the lung cancer space. She is also passionate about getting lawmakers “plugged into the health policy space.” As a Port Ludlow, WA resident, she would like to urge her local legislators to understand the value and opportunities that AI holds for cancer patients. She participates yearly in the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer’s Voices Summit as the WA state leader, aiming to increase awareness and federal research funding. Laura also serves as a consumer reviewer for the Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) within the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. In 2018, she joined the EGFR Resisters, a biomarker lung cancer advocacy group, where she now serves on the board and oversees the group’s monthly newsletter and social media. She also completed the American Association of Cancer Research Scientist-Survivor Research Program and the IASLC STARS Program. Her patient experience emphasizes that using AI in cancer imaging, diagnosis, and treatment can be used as a tool to aid physicians.  

Laura will be joining the Right Scan Right Time community for a Capitol Hill fly-in this July. During this event, she will have the opportunity to share her experience and advocate for expanded access to innovative imaging technologies such as AI.