‘Golden Bachelorette’ Star Joan Vassos, 62, Says Her Friend & Ex Gerry Turner Is Not Receiving Treatment After His ‘Very Slow Moving’ Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Diagnosis

“He and I are friends. We text every once in a while. He’s all good.”

After noting how shocked she was about his cancer diagnosis, she pointed out that “no one wants to hear the C word ever,” but thankfully, the type he has is “very slow moving.”

“Sometimes they never even treat them for it,” she continued, “Like, it never becomes an issue. So he’s at the stage of this cancer that he’s not even being treated for it.”

‘Golden Bachelor’ Looking For Love At 73: Gerry Turner Was Pined After By Millions– Now He Wants a Real Partner After Beating Cancer

It’s important to understand that with some cancers, immediate treatment is essential. You don’t want to let a cancer that started at an early stage — especially an aggressive one — progress to a late stage where it’s more widespread and harder to stop. This is also the case with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

However, indolent (slow-growing) non-Hodgkin lymphoma is different, like the type Turner is batlting. Some people, when diagnosed, will learn that they don’t have to start treatment right away. This approach is called “watchful waiting,” and it has its pros and cons.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Treat Right Away, Or Wait?

“Watchful waiting is a wonderful and a terrible thing all at the same time,” Dr. Caitlin Costello, hematologist-oncologist at UC San Diego Health, tells SurvivorNet. “It’s wonderful to not need treatment, but oftentimes terribly agonizing to just feel like you’re sitting there waiting for someone to tell you that you need treatment.”

Research shows that, in indolent lymphomas, waiting to start treatment until a patient meets certain criteria for treatment does not compromise long-term survival outcomes compared to treating right away.  In fact, some people can safely wait for several years before starting on treatment. Others will never need treatment.

Watchful waiting may be appropriate for people with indolent cancers such as follicular lymphoma or marginal zone lymphoma, Dr. Costello says. Indolent means the cancer is growing slowly, so it’s not likely to spread while you wait. Another reason to wait is if your cancer isn’t causing you any symptoms. It’s important when considering whether to wait that your lymph nodes aren’t growing quickly, and that none of your major organs — such as your heart or lungs — is being affected by your cancer.

Even with a slow growing cancer, your doctor will do a risk-benefit assessment to find out if the advantages of starting treatment outweigh the risk of side effects from that treatment. For some people, the answer is clearly yes, because they would benefit from treatment. “Whereas for other patients, we’d say it’s really not worth it at this point. The risk of the treatment isn’t worth the potential small benefit for you,” Dr. Costello adds.

Waiting has a few definite advantages. For one thing, you’ll avoid treatment side effects. Also, your cancer won’t have a chance to become resistant and stop responding to treatment.

Additionally, watchful waiting doesn’t mean that your doctor will do nothing. As the word “watchful” in the phrase implies, your doctor will carefully monitor you on a regular basis, and will start you on treatment as soon as you need it.

You’ll have periodic check-ups to go over your symptoms. During those visits, your doctor will likely do physical exams and give you blood tests. Sometimes you may need imaging scans such as x-rays and computed tomography (CT) to see if your cancer has progressed. In between visits, it’s important to let your doctor know if you have any new symptoms.

Understanding Turner’s Cancer Diagnosis: Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia

Back in 2021, following a shoulder injury he ignored but eventually got checked, Gerry Turner was diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), “an uncommon blood cell cancer that develops from malignant B-cells,” according to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,

“It is a slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Waldenström’s mostly forms in the bone marrow and can slow normal blood cell growth, which can lead to anemia and a weakened immune system,” the institute explains.

“The disease occurs because of an abnormality in B lymphocytes in the bone marrow, causing them to produce too much immunoglobulin protein (IgM) that thickens the blood. Although WM shares similarities with multiple myeloma and indolent lymphoma, it is a form of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, a low-grade (or indolent) type of lymphoma.”

Speaking to People in an interview last year, he explained what led to his diagnosis, saying, “Finally I got around to going [to the doctor] and the orthopedic surgeon said, ‘Yeah Gerry, there’s not much we can do for your shoulder, but there are some unusual blood markers here.’

“And so an orthopedic surgeon went to my family doctor, my family doctor referred me to an oncologist, and now I’m working with a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.”

RELATED: Smiling Shannen Doherty Warmly Embraced By ‘Golden Bachelor’ Star Gerry Turner — Living To The Fullest Despite Cancer, Divorce and Loss

Additionally testing, as well as a bone marrow biopsy, weeks later confirmed his diagnosis even more. However, he’s maintained an optimistic outlook and insisted to People, “I’m going to pack as much fun as I possibly can into my life and enjoy every moment. And when I’m gone, I’m gone, but I’m not going to have regrets.”

It’s important to note that not all patients diagnosed with WM need treatment as an active surveillance approach may also suffice, which Gerry Turner is said to be doing.

“While WM is incurable and will return despite treatment, many people are able to lead active lives and may experience years of symptom-free remission after treatment,” the institute adds.

Men are almost twice as likely to get WM as women, and the change of getting diagnosed with this disease increases with age

Genetics also seems to play a role in patients with WM. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says that up to 20 percent of people living with WM “have a first- or second-degree relative with WM or another lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.”

Understanding Lymphoma

Gerry Turner was diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is one of the two most common types of lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.

Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis

“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”

Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.

There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55.

Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk

It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.

These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.

Positive Tips for Living with Cancer

Living with cancer can certainly manifest a mix of emotions and obstacles. Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles you’ll have to deal with is cancer treatment.

While everyone has their own journey with cancer treatment, there are some golden rules to follow that are effective in managing this new life.

Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard, a thoracic oncologist at Boston Medical Center, has three tips/reminders for getting through cancer treatment:

• Don’t give in to the “I’m sick” mentality. Just because you have cancer doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing the things that you enjoy. Stay active.
• Don’t lose weight. Cancer can eat away at your physical reserves, so it’s important that you top them up with the calories and nutrients you need to fight the disease.
• Don’t be a tough guy. When you have cancer, things like diarrhea or tingling nerves can be a sign that the dose or frequency of your treatment needs to be adjusted. Speak up and let the members of your care team know so that they can help.

Ultimately, dealing with your cancer treatment means staying positive, having full communication with those who can help and support you, and remembering that your life went on before treatment, and will go on just the same after treatment. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t go on during. And yes, you have the strength!

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---