Jun 26, 2009 3:08 pm US/Eastern
Health: Local Woman Battles Anal Cancer
CHESTER SPRINGS (CBS 3) ―
Chester Springs resident Mika Maloney, 49, survived a grueling battle with anal cancer. Like with Farrah Fawcett hers also spread to her lymph nodes.
Standard treatments for anal cancer include chemotherapy and radiation.
"Emotionally Farrah Fawcett and I faced it the same exact way," said Mika.
Maloney said during her battle she had worries about death, family as well as feeling sick and exhausted. There also concerns of hair loss and looking ugly.
"When the job now becomes saving your own life those things no longer matter," said Mika.
Farrah, the famous beauty, was private about her treatments that reportedly included alternative therapy in Germany that left her weak and emaciated.
"I applaud her for being the celebrity that she is and for being truthful, that anal cancer happens even to people like her," said Mika.
Mika says it's embarrassing. She had issues with digestion and pain that she first thought was a hemorrhoid.
"I'm kind of a girly girl, so it did not seem to me to be like something I wanted to be vocal about," said Mika.
"It can be embarrassing," said Dr. Heather Curry, a Radiation Oncologist at Paoli Hospital.
Dr. Curry says the risk factors for anal cancer include smoking, HIV, and the human papilloma virus, also known as HPV, which is sexually transmitted.
"It can be spread through human to human transmission, particularly through sexual contact and intimate contact," said Dr. Curry.
Women get diagnosed with anal cancer more often than men. It usually strikes after age 35. Doctors say it's rare, but very treatable when caught early.
Since Mika's diagnosis, she and her friends started a foundation called The Great Guy Group. They provide assistance to cancer patients and their families who are facing the burdens that cancer brings.
Related Links:
American Cancer Society Anal Cancer Information-
http://www.cancer.org/
The Great Guy Group-
http://greatguys.org/
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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