‘Mavericks’ Singer Raul Malo, Who’s Living With Stage 4 Colon Cancer, Says a Song Written 20 Years Earlier Now Has Greater Meaning Since His Diagnosis

“Had literally been sitting in a storage bin for decades because it would not have been believable if I had been presenting it to the world as a 30-year-old,” Malo told Voice Tribune.

Now, with his cancer battle unfolding, Malo has resurrected the song, weaving it into The Mavericks’ latest recording project. Its haunting reflection on time and hardship resonates more powerfully than ever.

“That song was recorded and written 15-20 years ago, and back then, when I sang it, it didn’t have the same gravitas as it does now, and that’s why it never made it onto a record,” he told WBUR. “Now, 15 years later, we recorded it before the diagnosis. Now, it’s a very honest song.”

Beyond his music, Malo says his diagnosis has profoundly reshaped his perspective on life.

“This whole time I have been shown nothing but the best of humanity. I see kindness. I see empathy. I see understanding, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, does everybody need to have cancer to see this side of humanity?’” he shared with Penn Live.

With The Years Will Not Be Kind finally seeing the light of day, Malo’s journey is proof that music evolves with the artist—and sometimes, life hands us the missing piece to a song we never knew we’d need.

 

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Malo is back on stage alongside his bandmates, touring parts of the country to the delight of their legions of fans.

“Hey, Raul. Hope you feel well. Keep living and going the best you can. Love you, Brother,” Instagram user Paul Delfino wrote, who also noted that he is a cancer survivor.

Malo’s Cancer Journey

While undergoing a colonoscopy, which screens for colon cancer, doctors discovered Malo had “two cancerous spots,” which prompted further testing. The singer then learned he had colon cancer.

“One of the reasons I’m telling you all this is that some of the shows may be affected this year as we navigate this situation and see how the therapy goes,” Malo previously explained.

The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don’t have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts.

“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, explained.

WATCH: When to get a colonoscopy

Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long, thin tube attached to a camera examines the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the following screening won’t be needed for about ten years.

What Treatment Options Exist for Colon Cancer?

“There are a lot of advances being made in colorectal cancer,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

Colon cancer treatment is more targeted, meaning doctors often test for specific changes or genetic mutations that cause cancer growth.

Biomarkers are key to tailoring specific treatments. Biomarkers are molecular patterns becoming more commonly used in colon cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and management. According to the National Cancer Institute, a biomarker is “a biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or a condition or disease,” such as cancer.

“In colon cancer, we’re starting to look more and more at people’s biomarkers, so we’re starting to take the cancers, sequence them, understand where the different mutations are to figure out whether or not someone has a normal gene here or an abnormal gene,” Dr. Yeo explained.

“Those are the areas that people want to be able to target a little bit more. We’re getting close to more what we would call precision medicine, meaning we can start looking at people’s genetic mutations and think about how they might respond to different drugs.”

There are different types of biomarkers, including DNA, proteins, and genetic mutations found in blood, tumor tissue, or other body fluids. The biomarkers most commonly used in colon cancer management are:

Genetic mutations within the tumor, such as MMR/MSI, KRAS, BRAF, and HER2
Bloodstream carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

CEA is a protein produced by most tumor cells (but not all) and can be picked up in the bloodstream. High CEA levels do not establish a colon cancer diagnosis. However, higher CEA levels correlate with a worse prognosis and potential metastasis. Carcinoembryonic antigen is important for post-treatment follow-up to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned. Be sure to check with your doctor before treatment starts to ensure a CEA blood sample has been obtained.

More on Treating Colon Cancer

Surgery and chemotherapy are common approaches to colorectal cancer.

Some examples of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved chemotherapy drug treatments include:

• FOLFOX: leucovorin, 5-FU, and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)
• FOLFIRI: leucovorin, 5-FU, and irinotecan (Camptosar)
• CAPEOX or CAPOX: capecitabine (Xeloda) and oxaliplatin
• FOLFOXIRI: leucovorin, 5-FU, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan
• Trifluridine and tipiracil (Lonsurf)

WATCH: Understanding Your Options with Metastatic Colon Cancer

Among metastatic colon cancer patients, multiple treatment options exist, including surgical and non-surgical options.

One treatment option includes an oral treatment called Fruquintinib, which is a targeted therapy for adults who have metastatic colorectal cancer and have tried other treatments. Results from a trial published last year showed the drug improved overall survival and progression-free survival, which measures the amount of time before the cancer returns or spreads. It works by blocking the growth of blood vessels, which increases tumor growth.

Once you get to the metastatic setting, many patients “just run out of options,” Jennifer Elliott, head of solid tumors at Takeda, explained to SurvivorNet at the ASCO Annual Meeting. So it was critically important for Takeda to do this deal to in-license fruquintinib. We hope to give patients another option.”

Fruquintinib has been approved in China since 2018 and was originally developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company HUTCHMED. Takeda Oncology acquired the exclusive worldwide license for the drug outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau in January 2023.

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is very treatable and curable if caught early. Colon cancer screenings can involve at-home tests such as Cologuard, but a colonoscopy is more effective, according to SurvivorNet experts.

The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts.

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45. However, experts recommend screening earlier for some people who may be at an increased risk of developing colon cancer, such as having a family history of the disease.

WATCH: Debunking misconceptions about colon cancer.

The most poignant signature of colon cancer includes a change in bowel habits. This may include constipation or diarrhea due to changes in the size or shape of bowel movements. A change in stool color, particularly black or tarry stools, can indicate bleeding from a tumor that lies deep in the colon.

Other symptoms can be harder to pinpoint, such as abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss. Finally, some tumors bleed a small amount over a long period of time, resulting in anemia (low red blood cell count) that is picked up on blood work.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are facing a colon cancer diagnosis, here are some questions you may ask your doctor.

• What are my treatment options based on my diagnosis?
• If I’m worried about managing the costs of cancer care, who can help me?
• What support services are available to me? To my family?
• Could this treatment affect my sex life? If so, how and for how long?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of treatment?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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