Farrah Fawcett Passes Away

[Munchkin03]

Of anal cancer! That sounds terrible. How does one get anal cancer? Is it like colon cancer that spreads, or is it like cervical cancer?

(PS, I'm at work, and Googling "anal cancer symptoms and causes" is not what I should be doing now.)

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Of anal cancer! That sounds terrible. How does one get anal cancer? Is it like colon cancer that spreads, or is it like cervical cancer?

(PS, I'm at work, and Googling "anal cancer symptoms and causes" is not what I should be doing now.)

I have also been curious about this form of cancer.

I looked at the link provided in the original post. There have been quite a few losses due to cancer, mostly lung cancer, in Hollywood.

Isn't cancer considered the "#1 killer," in terms of diseases for the general population?

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I have also been curious about this form of cancer.

I looked at the link provided in the original post. There have been quite a few losses due to cancer, mostly lung cancer, in Hollywood.

Isn't cancer considered the "#1 killer," in terms of diseases for the general population?

I could be wrong, but I thought I'd heard somewhere that heart disease is the current #1 killer, with cancer on pace to pass it in the next year or two.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

I could be wrong, but I thought I'd heard somewhere that heart disease is the current #1 killer, with cancer on pace to pass it in the next year or two.

Thank you.

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Here's what the American Cancer Society has on anal cancer:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_1x.asp?dt=47

[epchick]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Isn't cancer considered the "#1 killer," in terms of diseases for the general population?

Heart Disease is the #1 killer of women.....not too sure about men though.


RIP Farrah

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Of anal cancer! That sounds terrible. How does one get anal cancer? Is it like colon cancer that spreads, or is it like cervical cancer?

(PS, I'm at work, and Googling "anal cancer symptoms and causes" is not what I should be doing now.)

Heard of colorectal cancer? That's what she had. Hence the "rectal" part of it. Rectal cancer usually gets grouped in with colon cancer because essentially it's the same part of the body...just in different segments. Suspected causes of colorectal cancer: heredity, age, poor diet among other possibilities. But really it could happen to anyone. This is why it's important to get a colonoscopy once you turn 50! If treated early, colorectal cancer is very curable; but if it's not caught until stage 3 or 4, survival is diminished.

ETA: I had heard she had rectal cancer, but see now that she had anal cancer. I looked it up to see if it was different than rectal, and apparently it is. HPV is listed as the most likely cause of most anal cancers.