Back on Chemo
- Country Ever After star Criscilla Anderson, 40, just shared that she is starting chemotherapy again while fighting stage 4 colon cancer.
- Anderson announced that she had been diagnosed with the disease in 2019, and last May shared that she planned to stop chemotherapy treatments in order to explore more natural remedies.
- Chemotherapy is a common treatment option for those battling colon cancer. It’s important to talk to your doctor whether it should be a first-line treatment option or given before/after surgery.
Related: First Line Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer
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Anderson was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2019, has been keeping fans updated through social media on her progress and treatment. In May 2020, Anderson announced that she planned to stop chemotherapy since her “tumors were shrinking” and she wanted to pursue more natural remedies. Thinking through a treatment plan is extremely important during your cancer journey, and it appears that she’s back on chemo.
How to Tell Family About a Diagnosis
For any parent facing a cancer diagnosis, the question of what to share with children can be heart-wrenching. In an interview with SurvivorNet, Criscilla and Coffey Anderson said that initially "I actually did not talk to my kids about it. "I didn't feel that that burden needed to be on them. I wanted them to just be kids."
After a while, to address her chemotherapy treatments, Anderson took a soft, yet straightforward approach with their children. "They knew that I was taking a medicine that was going to make Mommy sick but, ultimately, was going to make me healthy."
Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer
Chemotherapy is typically given after surgery has been done for colon cancer. This helps attempt to shrink the tumors and decrease the risk of recurrence. In some cases, patients may need to decide whether they want to go through chemo before surgery, after surgery, or as a first-line treatment. This often depends on the stage of the disease you were diagnosed with, but even in Anderson’s case, there are many options to navigate a late-stage diagnosis.
Chemotherapy has been very well studied for colorectal cancer and is known to improve survival. The most common therapy is called FOLFOX, and 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 tumor.
Dr. Heather Yeo explains how metastatic colon cancer can be managed
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