Prayers for The Leakes Family
- In June, Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes shared that her husband Greg’s stage 3 colon cancer has returned; fans are sending thoughts and prayers to the couple.
- Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum).
- Stage 3 colon cancer means the disease has spread outside of the colon and into the lymph nodes.
Greg Leakes, 66, was initially diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2018, and went through numerous chemotherapy rounds for treatment. According to NeNe Leakes, her husband would consistently skip cancer screenings each year which may have contributed to the cancer being caught in a later stage. He was declared in remission in May 2019, and tests afterwards continued to show no signs of cancer. However, in June NeNe shared that Greg’s stage 3 colon cancer has returned.
Read MoreLove love love you Nene and Greg prayers going up
— Barbara Casey (@Casey3Casey) July 6, 2021
Prayers for Greg & NeNe as they go through this journey yet again 🙏🏾 Jesus is still a healer🙏🏾
— Kellie Pulliam (@kddiva38) July 1, 2021
Prayers for Nene & Greg #RHOA
— iamdeeshields💋 (@iamdeeshields) June 29, 2021
Prayers up for #Greg and anyone else who is battling. Having a relapse can be a blow to the mind, spirit, and body. It’s a survivor’s worst fear. #fuckcancer #KeepFighting. Prayers to #Nene and their family as a whole. Shout out to all the caretakers too.
— Khalilah (@TomBoyDivaLeela) June 29, 2021
Big prayers for NeNe and Greg 💙🎈.
— 4•29 🎈 BDAY (@_ViewsFrmmJr) June 29, 2021
Colon Cancer: An Overview
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Your doctor might call this type of cancer colorectal cancer.
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, so if you get the recommended screenings your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form before they can cause problems.
Related: Does Alcohol Impact the Risks for Colon and Other Cancers?
When it comes to assessing risk factors associated with the disease, it’s still being determined what exactly causes the disease. However, experts have concluded that there are a few things that can increase your risk of developing the disease. These factors include your diet, regular smoking, drinking alcohol excessively, and whether you have a family history of colon cancer.
Dr. Heather Yeo breaks down misconceptions about colon cancer
Stage 3 Colon Cancer: Treatment Options
Stage one to three colon cancers are cancers that have not spread far away from the colon. Because of this, there is the potential for cure with surgical resection. When it comes to stage 3 colon cancer specifically, this means that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes surrounding the colon. In these cases, both surgery and chemotherapy are usually recommended.
Chemotherapy is often the main form of treatment in cases of stage 3 colon cancer with the aim to eliminate all evidence of the disease. If tumor cells have reached the lymph nodes, they may be hiding in other parts of the body, too. Although they may be too small to be seen, they can cause the cancer to come back. Because of that risk of recurrence, doctors recommend that anyone with cancer in their lymph nodes undergo chemotherapy after surgery.
Related: Monitoring After Surgery for Colon Cancer
Chemo lasts three to six months and is a combination of several medications that have been shown to do the best job of preventing the cancer from coming back. The most common combination is called FOLFOX, which is an acronym for three different medications that are given together: 5-fluorouracil/5-FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin.
These medications are usually given through an IV which means you'll be hooked to an IV pole in the doctor's office every couple of weeks. There can be side effects to FOLFOX in some people such as low white blood cell count, diarrhea and numbness in the fingers and toes, but this combination is safe for most patients.
Dr. Paul Oberstein explains how chemotherapy works in stage 3 colon cancer
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