Although Phillips had no signs of lingering disease after chemotherapy, he and his oncologist, Suresh Ramalingam, of Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, came up with a plan to prevent recurrence.
“I think that’s part of the genius of Dr. Ramalingam,” Phillips said. “He discussed it with me, signs of a scientist to a scientist: there’s evidence for this, it’s probably useful for that, in patients who no longer have evident disease. But it seemed logical to him and logical to me.”
Today, at 82, Phillips continues to take gefitinib and get CT scans every three months.
Besides a growth spotted in his left lung in 2019, which was taken care of with radiation therapy, Phillips has remained free of evidence of disease. He still exercises daily—using an elliptical and weights these days, rather than running—and he continues to work.
“My patients ask me, ‘Are you going to retire?’ and I say, ‘Look at what I get to do. I get to see patients, teach, and do research—and they even pay me!’”