Natalie Desselle Reid Passes of Colon Cancer
- Actress Natalie Desselle Reid passed away from colon cancer today, the same type of cancer that took Chadwick Boseman in August.
- In 2020, there will be approximately 104,610 new cases of colon cancer in the U.S.
- Colon cancer treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
I’m in total shock… completely heartbroken. gonna need a minute. #RIP @NatalieDesselle pic.twitter.com/Amt2k2ZYM7
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) December 7, 2020
Yvette Nicole Brown from Community wrote in disbelief: “This doesn't feel real. I am heartbroken.”
This doesn’t feel real.
I am heartbroken. #RIPNatalieDesselleReid 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZMwdWsYL7p— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) December 7, 2020
Actress Holly Robinson Pete wrote: “Just absolutely decimated by this news… Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning. I got to know her when my mom was managing her. She will be so missed…sending out prayers to her children and husband. ”
Just absolutely decimated by this news…
Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning. I got to know her when my mom was managing her.
She will be so missed…sending out prayers to her children and husband.
💔🙏🏽😢
Rest In Peace, Sweet Girl🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/BsyltHxKRG— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) December 7, 2020
Understanding Colon Cancer
In 2020, there will be approximately 104,610 new cases of colon cancer in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Colon cancer affects your large intestine (colon), or it affects the end of your intestine (rectum). It may be called “colorectal cancer.” Colon cancer develops when lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If the polyps aren’t removed, they can change into cancer.
Risk factors for colon cancer include tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and having a history of colon cancer in the family. This disease is screened for by colonoscopy. If there’s no history of this type of cancer in your family, you can begin doing colonoscopies at age 45.
Related: Colon Cancer: Overview
Dr. Heather Yeo, a Colorectal Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview how polyps can turn into colon cancer. She said, “Polyps are a precursor to colon cancer. For a typical colon polyp to go from a polyp to a cancer takes about 10 years. The usual guidelines are that we screen someone every 10 years. What happens is there’s an extra growth in your colon. And if that growth is left alone too long, the cells keep growing. And eventually, they become a little less normal, a little less like colon cancer, and they invade into an area they’re not supposed to.”
How Does a Colon Polyp Turn into Cancer?
Treating Colon Cancer
Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The treatment plan will depend on the disease’s progression and prognosis. Dr. Yeo told SurvivorNet in a previous interview, “If you have stage one to three cancer, that usually means that you need surgery. Traditionally, patients usually have open surgery, meaning they had a big incision through their belly and then we would go through that incision in the belly to take out the tumor.”
Related: Getting Cleaned Out for a Colonoscopy
“Now more recently, we’ve been using minimally invasive techniques, meaning making much smaller incisions and long instruments that go through the body wall and then we use a little camera to look inside the body. Patients recover faster, their hospital length of stay are shorter, they’re less likely to need transfusion. There are different ways to do laparoscopic surgery. As I’ve mentioned, you can either do it with the small long instruments or you can do it by using a robot.”
Choosing the Right Surgery for Your Colon Cancer While Avoiding Marketing Gimmicks
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
