Staying Hopeful Through Recurrence
- Canadian actor Brennan Elliot’s wife Camilla, 45, took to social media recently to reveal her stomach cancer is “trying to comeback in the most ferocious and sneaky way.
- Camilla Row Elliot, from Orange County, California, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stomach cancer called poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma when she was 39 years old, after experiencing constant heartburn, something she thought could be a symptom of a heart attack.
- Though a cancer recurrence is a highly stressful situation, especially after the elation of first “beating” the disease, there is more hope than ever before when it comes to various types of cancer recurrence, like the one Row is dealing with.
- Gastric cancer, or stomach cancer, stands as a formidable adversary in the realm of oncology. It arises from the cells lining the stomach, an organ integral to the digestive process. This type of cancer is characterized by its aggressive nature and a tendency to be diagnosed in advanced stages, which poses significant challenges to treatment and management.
- The stomach, nestled within the digestive system, is responsible for breaking down food and initiating the digestive process. However, when cells within the stomach’s lining begin to grow uncontrollably, gastric cancer can develop. The progression of this disease is often silent and insidious, with early symptoms that are easily overlooked or mistaken for common digestive complaints. This stealthy advance is a primary reason why gastric cancer often evades early detection.
According to Heavy, Row recently took to her private Instagram to reveal cancer was once again found in her body after having her quarterly laparoscopic check of her peritoneum, something she reportedly says her husband has dubbed “looking under the hood.”
Read MoreView this post on Instagram
As per Heavy, Row revealed three weeks after the procedure that two new tiny nodules (~2mm)” were discovered in her pelvis and removed for testing.
When her biopsy results came back, she was informed one of the nodules was cancerous and “some scattered cancer foci was found” in scar tissue/abdominal wall.
“I have been deeply processing this information and of course can’t deny it hit us hard,” she wrote in the update post. “No one wants to hear their cancer is trying to make comeback.”
Row’s update comes just a few months after she underwent surgery and 10 rounds of a new chemotherapy drug, something she also revealed on her Instagram account, according to Heavy.
Then, on March 4, 2024, Row reportedly took to her Instagram page to share a screenshot of her radiology report, which had the work “stable” highlighted in three separate times.
She wrote, “99% of this looks good and I am letting out a big sigh of relief and screaming thank you’s to sky above. Stable and no new sites of metastasis is AWESOME!”
Row’s hope and optimism for the future, prior to learning more cancer had been found in her body, is certainly inspirational. Of course, it’s concerning that her scan has revealed cancer again, but she’s thankfully doing what she can to stay on top of cancer recurrence.
Finding a Way to Live, Learn, and Cope With a Cancer Recurrence
Expert Resources On Cancer Recurrence
- Finding a Way to Live, Learn, and Cope With a Cancer Recurrence
- New Hope For Stomach Cancer: Immunotherapy Drug Opdivo Now Approved As a First Treatment
- 1 in 5 Cancer Survivors Believe Taking Supplements Will Prevent Recurrence; Don’t Rely on Alternative Medicine
- Immunotherapy in Recurrence
- The Option to Partake in a Clinical Trial During Recurrence
In her March 27th update post, she admitted to feel like she’s in a “good spot” … explaining further, “We know the surveillance is working and catching everything at a microscopic level so we can intervene early.
“So I am grateful for this was all found and we can do something to squash this comeback. To put it in perspective, if I only relied on scans, I would have ‘no evidence of disease’ for the past 2 years.”
Regardless of how her cancer journey is going, Row is incredibly lucky and grateful to have the support of her husband and family through adversity. In fact, her husband recently called her a “warrior queen” in a sweet Instagram post, featuring the two of them smiling as the sun sets alongside them.
View this post on Instagram
Brennan Elliot’s Wife’s Cancer Journey
Camilla Row Elliot, from Orange County, California, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stomach cancer called poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma when she was 39 years old, after experiencing constant heartburn, something she thought could be a symptom of a heart attack.
The Korean American clinical psychologist, who is now 45, previously recounted her symptoms to City of Hope, saying, “The pain [heartburn] was burning, stabbing, and most nights I was in tears. I would wonder if I was having a heart attack.”
In a recent interview with TODAY.com, Row said she experienced a heartburn-like pain for more than two years and made changes in her diet, even slept on an incline pillow, but nothing seemed to work.
Instead, her gastroenterologists told her to take medicine to minimize stomach acid. But when the pain worsened and Row feared she could be having a heart attack, she recalled begging her doctor for help.
She told TODAY.com, “I was actually crying. I’m like, ‘This hurts so bad, please don’t send me home.’”
It was then her doctor scheduled her to have an endoscopy, which revealed she had stomach cancer, something she admitted she had no knowledge of—a diagnosis which led her to have her stomach, ovaries, and breasts removed.
Row’s symptoms had begun in 2015, but she didn’t receive her diagnosis until 2018. Her diagnosis came as a shock as she considered herself healthy and has no family history of the disease.
Following her stage one diagnosis, she had her whole stomach and 47 lymph nodes surgically removed. She also underwent chemo and had her esophagus connected to her small intestine.
After that, she was monitored every six months with CT scans and blood tests to check for cancer recurrence.
In 2021, a blood test that checks for circulating tumor DNA turned out positive and tumors were eventually found on her ovaries, which were due to her gastric cancer.
She then, was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer, and had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
Row, who has remained positive throughout her cancer journey and has underdone seven heated chemo therapies, as well as traditional chemo, told TODAY.com, “I’ve actually just surpassed my expiration date because when I was first diagnosed (with stage 4 cancer), the longest prognosis I got was 24 months.
“So to be here and say I’m still here, I’m still doing extremely well.”
With no evidence of disease in her scans as of March 6, 2023, and microscopic levels circulating tumor in her blood, Row wants to make the most of her diagnosis and inspire others to know the signs and symptoms of this disease.
“If I have limited time, I’m going to make my time worth it and count. Knowing that I can make a difference really helps me feel like my disease is not in vain,” she added.
View this post on Instagram
Understanding Stomach Cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, stands as a formidable adversary in the realm of oncology. It arises from the cells lining the stomach, an organ integral to the digestive process. This type of cancer is characterized by its aggressive nature and a tendency to be diagnosed in advanced stages, which poses significant challenges to treatment and management.
The stomach, nestled within the digestive system, is responsible for breaking down food and initiating the digestive process. However, when cells within the stomach’s lining begin to grow uncontrollably, gastric cancer can develop. The progression of this disease is often silent and insidious, with early symptoms that are easily overlooked or mistaken for common digestive complaints. This stealthy advance is a primary reason why gastric cancer often evades early detection.
WATCH: Advice on how to handle a cancer diagnosis.
According to the World Health Organization, gastric cancer occupies a grim position as the fifth most common cancer across the globe. More alarmingly, it is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. These statistics underscore the global impact of gastric cancer and the critical need for increased awareness, early detection, and more effective therapeutic strategies.
The journey from a healthy stomach lining to cancerous growth is not fully understood, but it is known to involve a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Infection with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium linked to ulcers, is a known risk factor, as are diets high in smoked and salted foods and low in fresh fruits and vegetables. Other contributing factors may include chronic gastritis, smoking, and certain genetic predispositions.
Treating Stomach Cancer
The treatment of gastric cancer is a complex process that is tailored to the individual’s specific stage of cancer, overall health, and personal treatment goals. It often involves a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including oncologists, surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, and pathologists, to ensure a comprehensive approach to care.
Surgical Treatment
Surgery is the cornerstone of curative treatment for gastric cancer, particularly in the early stages. The extent of surgery depends on the tumor’s location, size, and stage:
Endoscopic Resection: For very early-stage cancers (T1a) that have not invaded beyond the superficial layers of the stomach lining, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) may be performed.
Partial Gastrectomy: Removal of part of the stomach (subtotal gastrectomy) may be indicated for tumors located in the lower or middle portions of the stomach.
Total Gastrectomy: For tumors that involve a larger portion of the stomach or are located near the esophagus, the entire stomach may be removed (total gastrectomy).
Lymph Node Dissection: The removal of surrounding lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy) is typically performed to ensure the cancer has not spread and to aid in staging.
Chemotherapy may be used at different stages of treatment:
- Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Administered before surgery to shrink the tumor and make it easier to remove.
- Adjuvant Chemotherapy: Given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells and reduce the risk of recurrence.
- Palliative Chemotherapy: Used in advanced stages to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life when curative treatment is not possible.
Radiation therapy may be used in combination with chemotherapy (chemoradiation) either before surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. It can also be a palliative treatment to relieve symptoms such as pain or bleeding.
Targeted therapy drugs focus on specific abnormalities within cancer cells. For example, trastuzumab (Herceptin) may be used for HER2-positive gastric cancers, which have high levels of the HER2 protein.
RELATED: New Hope For Stomach Cancer: Immunotherapy Drug Opdivo Now Approved As a First Treatment
Immunotherapy is a newer form of treatment that helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. Drugs like pembrolizumab (Keytruda) may be used for advanced gastric cancer, especially when the cancer has a high level of PD-L1 expression or is MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high).
Palliative care is an integral part of treatment at any stage of cancer. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness with the goal of improving the quality of life for patients and their families.
Participation in clinical trials may also be an option for some patients, offering access to new and innovative treatments that are not yet widely available.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.