Farrah Fawcett Documentary

This Friday May 15 former "Charlie's Angels" actress Farrah Fawcett will appear on most NBC TV stations in her documentary about her terminal disease. Please be sure to see it. Fawcett has been working on this documentary, "A Wing and a Prayer," for NBC about her cancer battle. Ms Fawcett age, 62, received a diagnosis of anal cancer in 2006.

he American Cancer Society estimates that 5,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year and about 680 people die from it annually. Meanwhile, colorectal cancer has 148,000 new cases and about 50,000 deaths each year. Anal cancer it treatable, but becomes more difficult to treat if tumor spreads Anal cancer affects more women and the illness is usually found in people who are in their early 60's.

What are the symptoms?

• More than half of anal cancer patients experience bleeding as a symptom. Others have no symptoms or report common conditions, such as “hemorrhoids, fissures, or warts.”

• Symptoms also include itching or pain in that area. The most common thing people think it's a hemorrhoid and unfortunately do nothing significant about it.

• changes in the diameter of stool,

• abnormal discharge,

The following stages are used to describe anal cancer:

In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the innermost lining of the anus. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called “carcinoma in situ.” In stage I, cancer has formed and the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller. In stage II, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters. In stage IIIA, the tumor may be any size and has spread to either: lymph nodes near the rectum; or nearby organs, such as the vagina, urethra, and bladder. In stage IIIB, the tumor may be any size and has spread: to nearby organs and to lymph nodes.

In stage IV, the tumor may be any size and cancer may have spread to more distant lymph nodes or organs and has spread to distant parts of the body.
What are the risk factors for anal cancer?

• A suppressed immune system,[e.g.HIV, certain medications]
• HPV, [human papilloma virus], Thus getting vaccinated is a step in prevention.
• STDs [sexually transmitted disease]
• Being over 50 years old

People tend to view anal cancer negatively, because they associate the cancer with a few of its publicized risk factors -- such as sexually transmitted diseases or anal sex—but it is only one of the risk factors, not the only risk factors.

When anal cancer is caught early, chemotherapy and radiation are highly effective. But if the cancer doesn't respond to treatment and spreads to other areas of the body, the five-year survival rate plummets to less than 20 percent.


Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice.

For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.