share: Farrah's Story - Anal Cancer and HPV.
Last week nine million Americans tuned in to view Farrah's Story, the moving account of Farrah Fawcett and her struggle with anal cancer. I know I watched the self-produced documentary specifically to see if they would mention the connection between anal cancer and HPV. Unfortunately, it never came.
It is believed that 90% of anal cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. Anal cancer, while still not high on the list with approximately 3000 new cases diagnosed each year is on the rise. While it is possible that Ms. Fawcett's anal cancer was not caused by HPV, statistically that is likely not the case.
She did however have the courage to expose the horrific procedures associated with treating the disease and increase awareness of a cancer which is too taboo to be spoken about. Many news accounts of her cancer initially referred to it as a colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer and anal cancer are not the same thing. After the airing, one particular news channel once again began the drum beat about colorectal screening.
The healthcare profession, on the whole, is sorely lacking in its knowledge and understanding of HPV. This compromises patient care and the potential health if not life of the patient.
As someone who has survived anal cancer it was difficult for me to watch this documentary as it evoked all those memories of what I had gone through myself and am continuing to go through now dealing with a recurrence.
I'm sure everyone has seen at least one Gardasil commercial, the vaccine which can help to prevent cervical cancer, and as the commercial says "other HPV diseases". Unfortunately it does not go on to mention what those other HPV diseases are. They include vaginal, vulvar, anal and penile cancers caused by high risk strains of HPV (typically 16 and 18) as well as genital warts caused by the low risk strains of HPV (typically 6 and 11). Most women, and men as well, have no idea that HPV is also related to these other cancers. It is for that reason, that I had hoped a public service announcement at the conclusion would have been so instrumental in increasing awareness that anal cancer can be preventable just like cervical cancer.
The fact that Ms. Fawcett asks why more research is not done on certain cancers (presuming she is referring to anal cancer) I have to wonder if she was even tested for HPV as she certainly didn't seem to be aware of its existence or its role in the development of this cancer.
Note that the Gardasil commercial does not mention that HPV is sexually transmitted. Obviously this would not create a stampeed to the doctor's office to obtain the vaccine. But, shifting the focus away from the root mode of transmission and focusing on the potential cervical cancer can certainly induce more young women to receive the vaccine which is currently approved by the FDA for those age 9 to 26.
Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached not only to this particular body part but to the sexual transmission of the virus as well. Hopefully in the near future, we will be able to speak about anal cancer as easily as we do today about breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. Only time will tell.
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I wrote a SHARE about this the night of the broadcast, as well. Thank you for sharing your story as a survivor of this little discussed and rare form of cancer. Your perspective is very important and, hopefully, helps us understand a bit more about this particular disease and causes.
How are you doing now?
May 19, 2009 - 7:46pmThis Comment
Hi Alysiak and thanks for asking how I'm doing. Unfortunately I am dealing with a recurrence once again and will have to travel up to Duke Cancer Center next month for surgery. The colorectal surgeons here in Central Florida who are "supposed to be" the tops in their field gave me two options, wait for it to become more invasive (WHAT?) or have a colostomy. There are other options for less radical surgery at this point yet I have to travel four states away to someone capable of doing the procedure. It is truly a disgrace in my opinion. I am hoping that once my book is published later this year, that it will have a significant impact both for lay people and healthcare providers.
There are 3 possibilities in terms of outcome for this surgery, 1) clear margins and close follow up, 2) positive margins with invasive cancer requiring more chemo and radiation or 3) positive margins for in situ squamous cell which would require a further resection and yet another trip to Duke. I wish someone could tell me why, as a patient, I should have to travel 1300 miles just to find someone competent to address this issue - terrible.
May 19, 2009 - 8:11pmBonnie,
It's good to see you on the boards again, though it's awful that you have had a recurrence and are having to travel so far for surgery. I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll keep my fingers crossed for outcome No. 1, clear margins and close follow-up. Best wishes to you, and please come back and update us, OK?
September 23, 2009 - 5:14pmFarrah's Story becomes the top topic on the largest STD dating == STDslove. com ==. I think the story
May 19, 2009 - 8:46pmcan encourge more than 500,000 members with STD on the site.
Bonnie, do you feel you contracted HPV and ultimately anal cancer through unprotected anal intercourse?
June 23, 2009 - 6:33pmYou do not have to have anal intercourse to contract HPV.
September 23, 2009 - 5:11amThe bodily fluids, during regular heterosexual intercourse (between a man and a woman)
can travel to the anus. A friend of mind passed away yesterday from anal cancer.
31 years old. Heterosexual. Male. Did not smoke or take drugs. He was a police officer.
No.
June 24, 2009 - 2:03amFarrah was a great actor. It is sad to hear that Farrah died of anal cancer. Anal cancer is a very rare type of cancer. It affects the anal region. Mostly the symptoms are not detected but some signs include anal bleeding, itching, pain or pressure, unusual discharge, changes in bowel habits and the formation of lumps close to the anus. Safe sex practices should be followed to reduce the development of anal cancer.
April 9, 2010 - 2:07am(Website removed by EmpowHER Moderator.)
somewhere in there you had said "I have to wonder if she was even tested for HPV " there is no test for hpv available however the only way to know if someone has or have had hpv is if they are showing symptoms like
October 25, 2011 - 5:18pmgenital warts
or anal cancer ect
my doctor told me this and all the research ive done had told me this also ... and even if the cancer or genital warts are cleared up and gone hpv can remain so there is no way of knowing if you still have the virus but i've also been told that your immune system will eventually kill off the hpv virus hope this information is useful
Anonymous,
October 25, 2011 - 6:25pmWhat is unfortunate is the dissememination of incorrect information. Unfortunately your information is totally INCORRECT. There is indeed a test for HPV, at this point there are now several tests available to detect for HPV (DNA). The first one developed as by QIAGEN over ten years ago, (thehpvtest.com), one of the newest in cervista manufactured by Hologic and a newer genotype test called cobas. I wonder what your doctor would say about just what the "reflexive test" is when performing a woman's pap smear.
The problem regarding HPV is that it rarely shows symptoms so most people are not even aware they have it unless they have symptoms such as genital warts caused by low risk HPV and dysplasia and/or cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus and mouth by high risk HPV or it is picked up during routine screening usually during a pap smear.
HPV DNA inhabits your cells and omitting all the biology involved has properties that prevent the bodys tumor suppressor proteins from functioning. It basiclly becomes invisible to the immune system, and if invisible, it does not, at some point down the road kill off the virus. The virus can resurface months, years or decades later.
I don't know the sites you have gotten this erroneous information from but I certainly would like to and get them to correct this distribution of misinformation.
Simply going to (thehpvtest.com) will show prove that there is indeed an HPV test. Perhaps you should give this site to your doctor too if he told you there was no such test. I don't know his exact words and would give him the benefit of the doubt that there is some confusion in your understnding of his comments.