Cancer Interviews

It took two chemotherapy regimens, but Luke Mutter survived a rare form of bile duct cancer.   A CT scan found a 14cm tumor in his liver.   At that time, his care team told him he had cancer, but it could not identify the type of cancer.   He was put on a systemic chemotherapy cocktail of folfirinox and oxaplatin, which attempt to kill the tumor.   When that didn't work, Luke learned he was a cand...

It was a stressful journey, but Linda Trummer survived Stage IV mantle cell lymphoma.   In 2015, she went to her primary care physician after discovering a lump on her jaw line.   That led to a diagnosis of a slow-moving blood cancer, MALtoma.   However, further tests revealed a lump under her left arm and the diagnosis was upgraded to Stage IV mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer.  ...

In 2021, one day away from his fortieth birthday, Ty Cedars felt pain in one of his testicles and noticed it was enlarged.   He contacted his physician, asking to be seen.   The following day, en route to a birthday celebration, Ty received a call from his doctor, requesting that Ty come right away.   The Alexandria, Louisiana-based schoolteacher soon underwent an ultrasound, then was directed to...

          A clinical exercise physiologist by trade, Erin Bloodworth sought a career change and became an exercise oncologist.   This enabled her to take her expertise and apply it to helping cancer patients, which she does through Northwestern Medicine Living Well. Erin says whether a patient is going through cancer treatment or is post-treatment, she puts the patient through an individualized ex...

For Stewart Greenfield, the third time was the charm.   After checking pictures of his bladder in 2016, two doctors told him he didn't have long to live; a third doctor told him he had Stage IV metastatic bladder cancer, but insisted he needed to be treated.   The cancer had burned a hole in his bladder and attacked lymph nodes from his groin to his neck.   Treatment included a chemotherapy cockta...

     Noelle Gatlin had to endure a lengthy, multi-step process, but she survived Stage II pancreatic cancer.   A visit to an emergency department revealed a mass near her pancreas. She was transferred to a hospital, where a second CT scan resulted in her diagnosis.   Her care team placed a duodenal stent in Noelle, then a bile duct stent.   She next underwent a 12-infusion chemotherapy regimen wit...

Laurie Adami seemed to have it all.   She was the president of her company, at age 40, she had just had a son and still found time to lead an active lifestyle.   However, in 2003, her health took a turn for the worse.   She felt a lump in her abdomen, experienced frequent, lengthy sinus infections and chronic fatigue.   All this led to a diagnosis of Stage IV Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.   Aft...

Nicole Scott and her husband, Keith, worked at the same Ohio hospital.   When Keith noticed abdominal pain in his left side, he thought it was muscle-related because of the physical nature of his job.   The pain radiated to his groin, then what had been random occurrences of the pain became more frequent.   Nicole urged Keith to seek urgent care.   An emergency room doctor called for a CT scan, th...

When Helinka Carr experienced limited rectal bleeding, because it was limited, she never thought her problem could rise to the level of cancer.   She also thought the bleeding might be diverticulitis, which had been suffered by members of her family.   However, at the urging of her doctor, she underwent blood tests and a colonoscopy.   The latter revealed that she had bowel cancer.   Thanks to two...

      Guy Nakoa has survived two diagnoses of Stage IV breast cancer.   He initially felt a lump in his breast while showering in 2000.   Because it wasn't causing him and because he didn't think could not get a type of cancer associated with women, I went more than a decade before he chose to have the lump checked out.   In 2014, he sought medical attention, he was diagnosed and in 2016, he had t...

Sheila Romanski is with us today after overcoming two diagnoses of breast cancer and the removal of a tumor in her left shoulder thanks to an autologous stem cell transplant.   She tells the @CancerInterviews podcast h er initial of Stage 1A breast cancer in 1996 came after her doctor suggested a routine mammogram at age 36 when at the time mammograms were not performed on women that young.   Radi...

In 2015, Daniel Garza experienced bloating and difficulty completing a bowel movement.   A subsequent digital rectal exam revealed a mass on his sphincter, which led to a diagnosis of anal cancer.   A surgical procedure got rid of the cancer, but it also resulted in his losing half of his sphincter and the temporary presence of a fistula, a tear which was like a second anus.   He underwent a chemo...

Former NFL star Rick Upchurch seemed to be in good health, but in 2010, he began to experience night sweats, fatigue and aches and pains.   He saw his doctor, who ordered blood work.   The test results revealed his white blood cell count was very high, and his general practitioner gave him the address of another doctor to see.   Rick and his wife were shocked to learn the doctor they had been told...

Jeff Kallis survived renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer.   When he experienced pain in his lower flank and saw blood in his urine, he sought medical attention.   A CT urogram revealed a stone in his left kidney and a mass in his right kidney.   A biopsy confirmed he had clear cell renal cell carcinoma.   Jeff underwent a radical nephrectomy on his right kidney.   The operation was painf...

What John Morley originally thought was a urinary tract infection turned out to be a diagnosis of bladder cancer.   At first, he was told it was a mild form of the disease.   Then the diagnosis was upgraded to T2 Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, requiring a radical cystectomy meaning he would need to get his bladder removed.   His care team next told John he would also have to get his prostate take...

    When Jessica Whorton discovered lumps on her left breast in 2011, she sought medical attention.   The doctors she spoke with said breast cancer was not indicated.   She walked around with the lumps for another nine months before seeking a second opinion.   Tests revealed she had Stage 3A invasive ductal carcinoma.   Doctors urged that she get a double mastectomy even though her right breast wa...

Susan Svoboda was accustomed to going in for her mammogram every November.   She enjoyed a healthy lifestyle, which included running 65 half marathons.   But in late 2021, after her mammogram, she was called to return to the doctor's office.   After scans and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with Stage 1-2 invasive ductal carcinoma.   Given her healthy routine, Susan was shocked, but she quickly had to...

In 2021, Albertina Dancy began to experience abdominal pain, but that wasn't all.   She also had gastrointestinal issues, jaundice and other problems.   However, she didn't take them seriously and thought they could be successfully addressed with over-the-counter remedies.   When that didn't happen, she sought medical attention.   Albertina's doctor said the symptoms, combined with her existing fa...

After a long list of health issues, Karen Humphries was diagnosed with a rare type of bile duct cancer called cholangiocarcinoma.   She was initially diagnosed in 2021 with Stage 2B gallbladder cancer, had her gallbladder removed, after which the diagnosis was changed to Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma.   Karen underwent a two-part liver resection and a chemotherapy regimen and went into remission.   T...

Note: Erin Cummins passed away in early 2026.   Erin Cummings was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 1972.   At age 15, she noticed a lump on her throat and another on her chest.   That led to a diagnosis of Stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma.   She was shocked at her diagnosis but initially had trouble putting into perspective just what she was up against because she cancer was something suffered by old p...

Art Still's body felt the ravages of playing professional football for twelve years, but when he suffered atrial fibrillation, he sought medical attention.   His doctor suggested he undergo a genetic test, which revealed he had the variant for a disease known as amyloidosis.   While not cancer, if left untreated in a timely manner, it can lead to various types of blood cancer.   Early detection, p...

Diana Ash had suffered from irritable bowel syndrome much of her life, but in 2019, she believed the IBS symptoms she felt were something altogether different.   Her concerns were proven correct when an ultrasound indicated a mass near her abdomen the size of a "mini football."   Not long after that, she was diagnosed with Stage 1C Ovarian Cancer.   Diana underwent an oophorectomy, a surgical proc...

On today's @CancerInterviews podcast, Joe Brennan tells us how he survived testicular cancer.   He says in April 2024, he noticed his right testicle was unusually hard, and immediately sought medical attention.   His urologist called for an ultrasound, which revealed a cyst on the testicle, which led to a diagnosis of seminoma pT1a, or Stage One testicular cancer.   That led to an orchiectomy, a s...

In this episode of the Cancer Interviews podcast, we will hear from Robin Centner of   Ryland Heights, Kentucky.   She learned she has the PMS2 gene, which is one of the genes that causes Lynch Syndrome, a form of colon cancer.   She found this out through genetic testing.   She was inspired to get tested because her father died of colon cancer at age 52 and her mother passed away from kidney canc...

In late 2018, Samina Cepal went in for her routine pap smear, but her visit turned out to be anything but routine.   It led to a CT scan, a pelvic ultrasound and a diagnosis of cervical cancer.   Samina underwent a grueling regimen of chemotherapy (cisplatin) and radiation therapy, simultaneously.   She experienced acute fatigue, weight loss, hair loss and despair, but three months later, her doct...