NBC sets Farrah Fawcett cancer show May 15 at 9 p.m

[garbovatwin]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... _show.html

NBC sets Farrah Fawcett cancer show

Wednesday, May 6th 2009, 4:00 AM
Farrah Fawcett O'Meara/AP

* Report: Farrah Fawcett released from hospital
* Farrah's cancer spreads to liver
* Friend: Farrah 'not at death's door'

NBC News has licensed and will repackage footage of Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer for a special to air next week.

"Farrah's Story," a two-hour special, will air May 15 at 9 p.m. It will include video Fawcett shot during her struggle with anal cancer.

"This film is very personal," said Fawcett, 62, in one of the clips. "At the time, I didn't know if anybody would ever see it. But at some point, the footage took on a life of its own and dictated that it be seen."

Her health has been the subject of much speculation recently, after she went abroad for treatment. Last month, with reports surfacing that she was near death, Craig Nevius, a producer on the NBC special, said Fawcett's cancer had metastasized and spread to her liver.

"She's doing fantastic," he said then. "Her fight goes on. ... She's not going anywhere anytime soon."

Fawcett was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and had surgery to remove a tumor. After chemotherapy, she was said to be cancer free. But the disease returned in 2007.

Her friend Alana Stewart shot most of the video in the special. Also appearing will be long-time love Ryan O'Neal, Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, Fawcett's father, Jim, and her doctors.

NBC paid an undisclosed fee to license the footage and is producing it in conjunction with Fawcett.

"This is an incredibly intimate and moving story about Farrah's struggle," Doug Vaughan, NBC's senior vice president of specials and alternative development, said in a statement. "Farrah wanted us to see the face of cancer and she wanted to set the record straight regarding her diagnosis, her treatment and her outlook on the future."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... EigK4578&B

[Guest1]

I wonder what type of procedure she underwent in Germany. It it had worked successfully, I think we would have heard about it.

[SusanE]

Garbovatwin, Thank you for posting this. I'm interested to see what alternative treatments money can buy in Germany. I just finished reading, Breakthrough, Eight Steps To Wellness, by Suzanne Somers. Different star, different disease, but the book is chock full of alternative treatments that she uses to manage her breast cancer (Yeah, and a bunch of anti-aging stuff too). She did radiation, but said no to chemotherapy and takes mistletoe injections instead. She is a great believer in, "Knowledge is power". She is pretty "commercial". But she has done a lot of home work. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.

[cptmac]

She does have anal cancer, which is different from colon or rectal cancer. Therefore, different treatments are required. A lot of people get anal cancer from the HPV virus.

I am curious to see how informative this program will be about anal cancer and if it explains the difference between colorectal cancer and anal. I think some people think its the same thing.

[cptmac]

Just bumping this up, since someone else also posted about it.

[garbovatwin]

Just bumping this up, since someone else also posted about it.

Thank you. From one day to the next the press has her getting better or on her last breath.

jA

[garbovatwin]

Just bringing this back up as a reminder that it is on tomorrow.

jA

[NWgirl]

I'll be watching - thank you for posting this.

[weisssoccermom]

As was previously posted, many people don't understand the difference between anal and colorectal cancer. I know that in the beginning of my cancer journey, I was one of those and ended up joining a yahoo group (to which I still belong) that was titled anal/rectal cancer. There treatments are totally different from ours. For the most part, chemo and radiation are the treatment of choice and enjoy quite a success rate. Anal cancers are NOT adenocarcinomas but rather squamous cell cancers which is why they respond differently. In addition, although most patients do receive 5FU or sometimes Xeloda, they do not generally receive oxi, avastin, irinotecan or erbitux but rather receive mitomycin or sometimes cisplatin.

I was diagnosed shortly before Farrah was and I read on the other group that she had been on that board. I don't believe her treatments in Germany were weird or alternative but rather what sounds like chemoebolization - presumably on her liver tumors. Keep in mind that what might be acceptable treatment here in the USA for certain types of cancer may not necessarily be acceptable for other types of cancer. For example, while Avastin is commonly used for colorectal cancer patients, it is NOT used routinely, for example, on brain cancer patients. We had a friend who passed away last year from a glioblastoma multiforme and, as a last resort, went on Avastin. Even though that same drug is prescribed here in the USA for other cancers, he had one heck of a time getting it approved and administered for his condition. It is highly probable that for liver mets due to squamous cell cancers that chemotherapy directly into the liver is not available in this country even though a similar procedure is done for mets due to colorectal adenocarcinoma.

My point is this. Before we go assuming that a celebrity went to another country for some 'whacko' treatment, consider the fact that many of our drugs and procedures actually were approved and began in Europe before being approved here. It very well may be that the doctors in Germany are experimenting with liver mets from squamous cell cancers to see if there is any hope for other patients.

Jaynee

[Gaelen]

Jaynee, the show tomorrow should set the record straight about what treatments Fawcett had in Germany--but I believe that the liver tumors (mets/recurrence) were a relatively recent development and are the reason she went back into treatment here in the states.

[weisssoccermom]

The information that was previously posted on the anal group indicates that her recurrence was the reason (in 2007) she sought treatment in Germany. Whether or not it was specifically aimed at her liver - I don't know as it has never been completely revealed in what part or parts of her body the cancer recurred. We do have to remember that just because a different treatment option or protocol is offerered somewhere other than the US does NOT necessarily indicate that that treatment is 'off base', 'bizarre', 'weird', 'whacko' or whatever. Although I appreciate the stringent rules and regulations that the FDA has implemented in this country, the sad fact is that there are many treatment options which are available in other parts of the world now that may eventually become standard here at a later date. Perfect examples: oxaliplatin was approved in Europe in 1999 but not in the US until 8/2002, irinotecan - France & Japan 1995, USA 1996 & Xeloda - Europe 2004, USA 2005. The TME (total mesorectal excision) surgery that most rectal cancer patients undergo (whether or not it is an LAR or APR) was first pioneered in England and later adopted worldwide as the 'standard of care'.

It just appears that most people feel that if a celebrity goes to another country for cancer treatments those treatments must be weird or why not have them done in the USA. While I personally believe we have access to the gold standard of care in the USA, I am not, by any means, unrealistic to think that there are not other, mainstream, yet to be approved, perfectly medically sound treatments available in other countries that are not yet available here. Somewhere, somehow, these trials have to be undertaken on patients. If a celebrity has the money to try one of these treatments, so be it and more power to them. Keep in mind that for each and every one of you on this board who have had oxaliplatin, Xeloda, TME, irinotecan, etc., hundreds of patients in other countries were the 'guinea pigs' before you that allowed your treatments to continue. The ability to tweak dosages, monitor side effects, etc. has to start somewhere and when the trials are successful, then we applaud those people who submitted to them. Unfortunately, when they don't work, we automatically assume the worst.

Jaynee

[Ivona]

I understand that anal cancer, while quite rare is very agressive. And yet, squamous cell skin cancer is considered one of the least serious cancers. Wonder why the difference..simply due to location of the cancer? Proximity to lymph nodes??

Just wondering........

[Jethro]

A little more info about anal cancer. You can get adenocarcinoma with anal
cancer .

Types of anal cancer



Because there are so many different cell types in the anus, multiple types of cancer can arise, including:

* Squamous cell carcinoma. The most common cancer type, typically affecting the surface cells in the lowest part of the anal canal.

* Cloacogenic carcinoma. This cancer type affects the cloaca, the bottom part of the large intestine that stores the stool.

* Adenocarcinoma. A less common form of anal cancer, affecting the anal glands. Paget's Disease (not the same as the Paget's bone disease or Paget's disease of the breast) is a type of adenocarcinoma.

* Basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Types of skin cancers that can rarely cause anal cancer.

[holly43]

I have two friends that were both diagnosed with anal cancer and both of them had adenocarcinoma's. They also were given the same radiation and chemo I was given for rectal cancer. I just wanted to point this out because I feel some of the previous posts aren't totally accurate.

[weisssoccermom]

Holly,

Were they given 5FU & mitomycin or cisplatin and radiation only. It is very unusual for anal cancer to be adenocarcinoma and by far, the most common forms of anal cancer are squamous cell. In addition, most anal cancer, presumably because they are squamous cell, have a direct connection to the HPV virus.

Jaynee

A little bit more info about anal cancer from the ACS site:

Overview: Anal Cancer
What Is Anal Cancer?

Anal cancer begins in the end of the large intestine (colon), called the anus. The anus is about an inch and a half long and connects the lower part of the large intestine to the outside of the body. The anus opens to allow the passage of stool (feces) during a bowel movement. It is lined with cells that are like the cells lining the bladder, vagina, urethra, and other places in the body. These cells are known as squamous cells.

Many kinds of tumors can grow in the anus. Some can start off harmless but later change into cancer. These tumors are referred to as potentially pre-cancerous. The term "dysplasia" (dis-play-zhuh) is also used to describe this condition. Other tumors of the anus are not cancerous, and are called "benign" (be-nine). Examples of benign tumors are warts and skin tags (small pieces of skin that hang loose from the body).


Types of Cancerous Anal Tumors

Squamous cell carcinomas are the most common type of anal cancer. These tumors begin in the cells that line the lower part of the anus and most of the anal canal. In its earliest stages it is known as carcinoma in situ (in-SY-too) or CIS. It may also be called Bowen disease. In CIS, the cancer is only in the surface cells and has not spread to any other tissue. If the cancer has spread beyond the surface cells it is called invasive.

Cloacogenic (clo-ah-kuh-jen-ik) carcinomas: This is a type of squamous cell cancer that starts in an area of the anus called the cloaca (clo-a-kuh).

Adenocarcinomas (add-uh-no car-suh-no-muh): A small number of anal cancers start in the glands found in the anal area. These cancers are known as adenocarcinomas. Paget disease is a type of adenocarcinoma that spreads through the surface layer of skin and can occur in the anal area. This should not be confused with Paget disease of the bone which is a very different disease.

Most adenocarcinomas start in the rectum and are treated as rectal carcinomas. For more information on this see the American Cancer Society document, Colorectal Cancer.

Skin Cancers: A small percentage of anal cancers are basal cell carcinomas, a type of skin cancer. Another 1%-2% are melanomas, another type of skin cancer. Melanomas are far more common on parts of the body that are exposed to the sun. Unfortunately, most anal melanomas are found at a late stage because they are hard to see.

Last Medical Review: 05/30/2007
Last Revised: 05/06/2009

Although yes, there is anal adenocarcinoma, it does start in the anal glads first and as reported, is not that uncommon. The Stanford site lists anal adenocarcinoma as being "less common".