We Loved Her As ‘Maggie Horton’ One ‘Days of Our Lives,’ Rooting For Actress Suzanne Rogers, 82, Getting Back To Work After Colon Cancer

The American Peacock/NBC network soap opera star, who has taken on the role of Maggie Horton for 52 years, opened up about her colon cancer journey to TV Insider this week.

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Rogers, who has since completed her treatment and kept her cancer journey private from the public until now, said she first noticed she wasn’t feeling “quite right” over the summer and decided to visit her doctor. After having a colonoscopy done, an exam she had done regularly, a surgeon advised her to get an MRI, PET scan, and a biopsy.

Following the additional testing, Rogers recalls her doctor telling her, “You have cancer and you have to start treatment,” something which came as a shock to her.

Rogers explained further, “I think I was in a shock for several days because I take pretty good care of myself. But he [the doctor] said, ‘It’s a good thing you caught it in time.'”

Looking back on her intense treatment regime, she said, “It was tough knowing you had to do it five days a week and then you had off Saturday and Sunday.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my weekends because I didn’t have to go to and see a doctor. I was so tired of seeing doctors.”

The Days of Our Lives filming schedule’s regular six-week break helped Rogers keep her diagnosis private.

“I was able to keep it under wraps and then the show took that break, so it wasn’t necessary to get into it all then. It helped me because it gave me even more time to chill and to get myself healthy,” she said.

She thanked her close friend and co-star for accompanying her to doctor’s appointments, as she had no family nearby and often found the experience too overwhelming to absorb everything the doctor said.

When the co-star who often accompanied her to doctor’s appointments asked to share news of her cancer journey with a few others to gather more support, Rogers eventually agreed—prompting a wave of caring phone calls from her castmates.

Rogers also noted how the shows producers collectively told her, once they discovered she was battling colon cancer, “Don’t worry about a thing, take care of yourself, get yourself well. That’s the most important thing. We are here.'”

Now, Rogers insists she’s feeling “really good,” sharing that she’s getting “back to work” next week.

“Now, I’m feeling anxious like I do any time I get scripts because I want to do my very best and you don’t want to hold up anybody. So that’s the only anxiousness I feel. It’s not because of my illness, let’s put it that way,” she told TV Insider.

Rogers’ biggest complaint is that the treatment depleted her of her energy. However, it appears to be returning.

“It seems like it’s coming back. It’s not 100% yet, but I feel better. Today I feel really good, and that’s happening more and more than the other way around, so I’m really happy about that,” said Rogers, who noted that she didn’t lose any hair during treatment and still looks the same.

She concluded, noting how her gratitude and support system helped her tremendously, “The prayers and the good wishes from my friends and my family helped me stay positive and stay on top of it and beat this.”

Rogers, who doesn’t plan on leaving the show any time soon, said her time off from filming won’t be noticed by fans until 2026, as the show films episodes 10 months in advance.

Do I Need to Share My Cancer Diagnosis in Social Situations?

Meanwhile, actress Linsey Godfrey, who often accompanied Rogers at her appointments, wrote on TV Insider’s recent Instagram post about Rogers, “Love my TV Momma. So proud of her and so beyond thrilled she’s beat it! I had no doubt. Love you Suzanne!!!”

Actress Ashley Puzemis also commented, “My strong, resilient, beautiful inside and out tv grandma!! What a total boss, we knew she’d beat this.”

Scottish actor Paul Telfer chimed in, “She’s an absolute champion!!! So relieved she’s in the clear.”

While a fan wrote, “Maggie is the heart of Days of Our Lives. Wishing you good health and strength.”

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer happens when polyps are not removed and become cancerous. It can take up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become cancerous, according to SurvivorNet experts.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a surgical oncologist who specializes in colorectal cancers at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

“Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Dr. Yeo added.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously explained the colonoscopy procedure to SurvivorNet.

“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” he explained. “What does that mean? That means we basically put a wire through with a little bit of a flange at the end, and we pull the polyp out. Now, note there is no pain with that. Inside the colon, there are no pain fibers. So, there’s no pain.”

The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.

Looking for Polyps During Colonoscopy

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends guidelines that state colon cancer screenings should begin at 45 years old. This is in response to the increase we see in colon cancer diagnoses in younger adults.

However, many insurance companies still do not cover the cost of screenings for those under 50. In the past, the disease had predominantly been found in adults 50 years or older, but for those predisposed to getting it at a younger age, these new guidelines could help catch it earlier.

Understanding Treatment Options

It’s important to understand that your doctor has many ways to treat colon cancer, depending on what stage the cancer is, including:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy

Surgery

Surgery is the main treatment for most early-stage colon cancers, according to the doctors SurvivorNet spoke with. The surgeon will remove the part of the colon or rectum where there is cancer, along with a small area of healthy tissue around it. Taking out as much of the cancer as possible is important for improving your outcome.

The surgery may be performed through small incisions (laparoscopy), or through a larger incision. Some people may need to wear a special bag (ostomy) to collect wastes after surgery.

Deciding When to Operate on Colon Cancer

Radiation Therapy

This treatment aims high-energy x-rays at the cancer to destroy the abnormal cells. The radiation can come from a machine outside your body, or be placed directly inside your body. Sometimes people get radiation before surgery, to shrink the tumor and make it easier for the surgeon to remove. This is called neoadjuvant radiation.

Chemotherapy

This treatment uses strong medicine to stop cancer cells from dividing, no matter where they are in your body. You may get a combination of chemotherapy drugs as your first treatment. Chemotherapy has been very well studied for colorectal cancer, and it is known to improve survival.

The most common therapy is a combination of chemo drugs called FOLFOX:

• FOL = leucovorin calcium (folinic acid)
• F = fluorouracil
• OX = oxaliplatin

Your doctor may add medications like irinotecan (FOLFIRI) or cetuximab, depending on how well your tumor shrinks with treatment and other specifics about your particular cancer. For FOLFOX, the medications are given through the vein and require regular doctor visits.

To determine exactly which chemotherapy regimen you get, your doctor will consider your age and how well you might tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy. Gene mutations (for example, BRAF and KRAS) and the location of the primary colon tumor also factor into the decision.

You can also get chemotherapy before colon cancer surgery, which is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Getting chemo first helps to shrink the tumor, which can make both the surgery and recovery easier, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Chemo is also a treatment for cancer that returns after therapy.

Targeted Therapy

This treatment targets substances like proteins or genes that the cancer needs to grow. This makes targeted therapy more precise than chemotherapy, and less likely to damage healthy cells. One example of targeted therapy is bevacizumab (Avastin), which stops the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. Another group of targeted therapies are called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, which block the cancer from growing.

Immunotherapy

This treatment makes your own immune system a more efficient cancer fighter. A group of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, which includes pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo), work by preventing cancer cells from hiding from your immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors may extend the amount of time before the cancer spreads.

Dr. Paul Oberstein, on which treatments doctors use to turn stage 4 colon cancer into a chronic but manageable disease

What Increases Your Risk for Developing Colon Cancer?

For some people, certain risk factors can influence their risk of getting colon cancer. They include the following:

• Are older. About 90% of cases are in people aged 50 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Yet it is possible to get this cancer earlier in life.
• Have inflammatory bowel disease.  Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can, over time, cause cells in your intestines to turn cancerous.
• Have a family history of this cancer. Just under one-third of people who get colon cancer have family members with the disease.
• Have a gene mutation. About 5% of colorectal cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation that causes syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
• Don’t exercise very often. Stying active can lower your risk.
• Eat a diet that’s high in meat. Regularly eating red meats like burgers and steaks, and processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon might put you at higher risk.  Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead might lower your risk.
• You are overweight or obese. Having too much weight increases your risk of both getting colon cancer and dying from it.
• Drink a lot of alcohol.  Limiting alcohol to one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men could help lower your risk.
• Use tobacco. Long-term smokers are more likely to get this cancer than nonsmokers.

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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