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Vision problem leads to man’s stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, new drug extends survival

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2026

A former Ironman triathlete was stunned to learn that his vision problems were actually the first sign of stage 4 lung cancer.

Dave Nitsche, 57, was initially given just 12 to 24 months to live – but an experimental drug has helped him surpass that timeframe by several years.

“In 2019, I noticed that I was having trouble seeing with my left eye,” the Canadian man shared during an interview with Fox News Digital. “I went to the optometrist, and they said it was probably a detached retina.”

DOCTOR AND CANCER SURVIVOR GEARS UP TO RUN 7 MARATHONS ON 7 CONTINENTS IN 7 DAYS

After scans revealed fluid buildup and rising pressure, doctors determined that Nitsche had lost vision in the eye — and ultimately removed it. A biopsy of the fluid revealed that it was cancerous.

Next, Nitsche saw more specialists, who extracted fluid from his lungs for more testing. “The next day, the oncologist told me that I had stage 4 lung cancer,” he said.

Nitsche said his doctors were “very shocked” to find that his initial eye issues had stemmed from lung cancer – particularly because he had never been a smoker.

Azam J. Farooqui, MD, a hematology and oncology physician at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers in Chandler, Arizona, agreed that Nitsche’s case was “very surprising.”

LUNG CANCER RISING AMONG NON-SMOKERS — HERE’S WHY

“Cancer can find its way to some very odd locations, but the eye is a very, very rare one,” Farooqui, who did not treat Nitsche, told Fox News Digital. “Usually cancer will get there via a nerve channel or blood vessel, but it’s very uncommon.”

Nitsche, an ex-triathlete who has done multiple Ironman races, hadn’t experienced any other symptoms other than the eye issues. “I was running quite a bit at the time,” he shared. “I had a little bit of back pain here and there, but lung cancer definitely wasn’t on my radar.”

His first treatment was a targeted therapy called afatinib, which lasted about three months. When doctors found that the cancer had spread to Nitsche’s brain, he began taking another medication called Tegrisso (osimertinib), which crosses the blood-brain barrier.

HIDDEN FACTOR IN CANCER TREATMENT TIMING MAY AFFECT SURVIVAL, RESEARCHERS SAY

After six years, when those drugs stopped working, Nitsche started taking a chemo drug called Rybrevant (amivantamab), which he receives via IV infusion every three weeks in a supervised medical setting. After a year on the drug, which is manufactured by Janssen Biotech, Inc. in Pennsylvania, his scans are looking “very, very good,” he said.

“Science is catching up to me perfectly with all these drugs that I’m on,” Nitsche said. “Now, we’ll just wait for the next thing to come along and we’ll jump onto that. But for now, the Rybrevant is working perfectly.”

Nitsche has experienced a few side effects, primarily skin irritation and fingernail infections, but said for the most part, the drug is “very tolerable.”

Compared to the full-dose chemo and other lung cancer treatments, Farooqui agreed that Rybrevant is “very manageable.”

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Other common side effects can include infusion reactions, muscle and joint pain, mouth sores, swelling, fatigue, nausea, bowel changes, vomiting, cough, shortness of breath and low appetite, according to FDA prescribing information.

In rare cases, serious effects can include lung inflammation, blood clots, severe skin reactions and eye problems. Pregnant women should not take the drug due to fetal risks.

“If somebody is having too many side effects, or if it is feeling too aggressive, we can do dose reductions,” Farooqui noted. “In my experience, we’ve had patients do really well on it, and we’ve been able to manage their side effects without any major concerns.”

Rybrevant has now been approved to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer in the U.S. and Canada, and Nitsche said a few of his friends are also taking the drug.

“Doctors gave me a year to two years – they told me to get my affairs in order. And it’s been seven years now,” he said. “I’ll take it.”

Nitsche is now preparing for a 600-mile biking expedition in June to raise awareness for lung cancer. He credits his endurance training and high fitness level with helping to extend his survival.

“There are days that you feel strong and there are days that you’re a little weaker, but you just adjust accordingly,” he said.

Embracing his role as an advocate, Nitsche now speaks openly about his experience and what others should know.

“If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer – but at this point, for almost any type of cancer, a diagnosis is not a death sentence,” he said. “They’re doing so much research on it, especially with lung cancer … I’ve known people who have lasted 12 to 18 years, so for me, seven years is great. So I’ll just keep going.”

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Farooqui echoed the importance of patients “advocating for themselves and getting the most up-to-date therapy there is.”

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Anti-Israel agitators clash with NYPD officers near synagogue

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Addison Blake

Anti-Israel agitators clashed with law enforcement outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday night as pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags nearby.

Footage from the protest shows New York City police officers shoving the anti-Israel group back to create a street-wide separation between the two groups. The group waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs numbered roughly 100 and could be heard repeatedly shouting, “Israel should not exist.”

The anti-Israel group, gathered less than a block from the Park East Synagogue, chanted, “Palestine will never die,” and, “Stop the sale of stolen land.”

The organizer of the protest was the anti-Israel group Pal-Awda NY/NJ, which previously organized a similar demonstration outside the same synagogue in November, according to the New York Post.

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It was in response to that protest that the New York City Council passed legislation allowing the NYPD to place barriers around synagogues to protect congregants from protesters. Police at Tuesday night’s clash were seen enforcing that barrier.

The council passed the legislation with a veto-proof 44-5 majority, but NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to sign the legislation, instead dragging it out until an April 25 deadline when it automatically became law, the Post reported.

The Anti-Defamation League released an annual report on Wednesday morning that found 2025 “marked one of the most violent periods for American Jews.”

ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS BREAK RECORD FOR 4TH STRAIGHT YEAR, ADL FINDS

Assaults against Jews rose to 203 from 196 compared to the year before, and assaults with deadly weapons rose from 23 to 32.

The group did find that non-violent antisemitic incidents, including incidents of harassment and vandalism, were down 39% and 21% since 2024 respectively.

“Our 2025 Audit, which shows it was one of the most violent years for American Jews on record is a reminder of how dramatically the threat landscape has shifted. Numbers that would have shocked us five years ago are now our floor,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

The ADL audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations, and evaluated by ADL’s experts, the group says.

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Lakers player suffers gruesome pinkie injury in Game 1 loss to Thunder

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Addison Blake

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a gruesome finger injury during the team’s Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Vanderbilt went up to block Thunder star Chet Holmgren’s dunk, but missed. Instead, his pinkie got caught on the backboard as he came down. Vanderbilt was in a ton of pain, and even the Thunder bench winced at Vanderbilt’s hand.

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“I mean, it just — it looked pretty gruesome in my opinion,” Thunder guard Jared McCain said after Oklahoma City finished off the 108-90 victory. “I don’t even know, to be honest, what I was looking at. It looked pretty bad, though. So prayers for him. Sending him love.”

Vanderbilt, who averaged 4.4 points per game during the regular season, only played six minutes in Game 1. He had two points and a rebound.

Lakers coach JJ Redick spoke about Vanderbilt’s mishap after the game, calling it a “freak injury.”

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“I went to go check on him because it just looked bad,” Redick said. “He was audibly screaming. Knew he had done something. We’re obviously disappointed. But, that happened, and it’s just a freak injury.”

Los Angeles has been hit with the injury bug over the last month. The team lost Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic for the last few games of the regular season. Reaves returned to the floor for Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

Against the Thunder, he only scored eight points in 36 minutes.

Doncic is still nursing a hamstring injury, which cost him the final five regular-season games and now Game 1 against Oklahoma City.

Game 2 is set for Thursday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WWE legend Ric Flair blasts Lakers’ Luka Doncic, calls on team to trade him

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2026

Addison Blake

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair didn’t mince words when it came to Luka Doncic’s absence from the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

The Lakers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game of their second-round series, 108-90. Doncic missed the first round of the playoffs with a hamstring injury. Los Angeles has seen Austin Reaves return to the lineup in the last series. He played 36 minutes against the Thunder, but only scored eight points.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Flair wrote on X that Doncic needed to get back in the game and that he hoped the Lakers decide to trade him.

“Luka, Please Get In The Game! Take A Shot Of Cortisone And Deal With The Pain! They Are Paying You 50 Million A Year, And You’re Not There! WTF! I Hope @JeanieBuss Trades You Next Year. Nobody Wants A Lame Duck On Their Team!” Flair wrote in his rant.

Flair made clear in an interview with Fox News Digital in 2023 that he keeps an eye on all sports – not just what’s going on in pro wrestling.

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Particularly, he found players resting due to “load management” loathsome.

“These basketball players that whine and b—h, it’s taken a lot of the sport away from me,” he said at the time.

Flair contrasted wrestling through his own injuries to NBA players sitting out through injuries he felt they should be able to play through.

“They go to work hurt,” Flair said about pro wrestlers at the time. “That’s what p—-s me off today about these basketball players that stub their toe. No s—. How do you think I feel about that knowing I wrestled six months after I broke my back in a f—ing airplane crash? ‘I got a torn thumbnail. Whoa, whoa, whoa.’”

In any event, Doncic’s hamstring injury cost him the last five games of the regular season and each of the Lakers’ playoff games.

Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.