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If you, or someone you know, was recently diagnosed with a liver tumor, you may have heard talk about a new type of cancer treatment called histotripsy.

But what is histotripsy? How does it work? Is it only for patients with liver cancer? And, how do you know if you¡¯re a good candidate for it?

Read on to get answers to these questions and more.

What is histotripsy?

Histotripsy is a new technology that was approved in 2023 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of liver tumors. It uses focused ultrasound energy to destroy tumors non-invasively ¡ª that is, without making any surgical cuts.

How does histotripsy work?

Histotripsy works through a process called cavitation, or the creation of air pockets in a particular substance. The focused energy created by the ultrasound machine generates enough force to pulverize matter ¡ª in this case, liver tumor tissue. It also creates a ¡°bubble cloud¡± in the process, which shows us that the energy has reached the level necessary to destroy tumor cells.

Patients receiving histotripsy are given general anesthesia so we can control their breathing and minimize movement of the targeted tumor(s). Then, they¡¯re securely positioned on the operating room table and the equipment is situated over them. Doctors then program the robot to deliver the planned treatment. Once the machine is activated, the procedure itself may take anywhere from 10 to 50 minutes per tumor. The focused energy travels through the body to its targeted location and is automatically delivered.

Is histotripsy used exclusively to treat liver cancer?

Yes. At this time, histotripsy is only approved to treat liver cancers. However, it can be any type of liver tumor, whether it is a primary tumor (i.e. a tumor that started in the liver, such as hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma) or another type of cancer that metastasized, or spread, to the liver.

Histotripsy is being tested for tumors in other organs in clinical trials?but is not currently approved for the treatment of tumors outside the liver.

The liver is your body¡¯s largest organ. It¡¯s responsible for digestion, blood clotting and helping get rid of toxins. But unlike other organs, it has two blood sources. This makes the liver vulnerable to cancer cells moving through the bloodstream. The cancers that most commonly spread to the liver through the bloodstream are colorectal, breast and lung cancers.

When cancer starts in the liver, it¡¯s called hepatocellular carcinoma. This type of liver cancer can start as a single tumor or as multiple spots on the liver caused by heavy drinking, obesity or a long-term hepatitis infection. These conditions cause scarring and permanent damage, known as cirrhosis of the liver.

To learn more about liver cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, we spoke with Here¡¯s what she had to say.

What are common symptoms of liver cancer?

Many patients don¡¯t experience any symptoms in the early stages of liver cancer. When symptoms do develop, they may include abdominal pain or bloating, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and yellowing of the skin or eyes, known as jaundice. Keep in mind that these symptoms vary from person to person.

Are some people more likely to develop liver cancer?

Hepatocellular carcinoma is more common in men than women, and the average age of diagnosis is 63.

Patients with cirrhosis of the liver are more likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma, so it¡¯s important to understand what can lead to cirrhosis:

• Alcohol consumption: Alcohol should be avoided. Talk with your doctor about what that means for you.
• Chronic hepatitis infection: Hepatitis B and C increase your risk, so it¡¯s important to seek treatment if you have either of these infections. New antiviral medications can treat both types.
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: This is caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. You can lower your risk by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a plant-based diet and staying active.
• Genetic conditions: Hemachromatosis, Wilson disease, Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, porphyria and other rare conditions can lead to cirrhosis. If you have a family history of liver cancer, talk with your doctor about whether you should meet with a genetic counselor.

What are screening options are available for liver cancer?

National guidelines recommend routine screening liver cancer screening for patients with cirrhosis. This includes a blood test for a cancer marker called alphafetoprotein as well as an ultrasound looking for any suspicious liver masses. This screening regimen is typically done every six months. Your doctor can advise if this is right for you.

How is liver cancer diagnosed?

Talk to your doctor if you have any liver cancer symptoms. Your doctor may order a CT scan or an MRI along with an alphafenoprotein blood test to look for cancer. In some cases, CT scans or MRI results, along with blood test results, may be enough to make a diagnosis. But if the images aren¡¯t clear, your doctor may remove a tissue sample for closer examination by doing a biopsy.

How is liver cancer treated?

The type of liver cancer treatment your doctor recommends will depend on the tumor¡¯s size and location, whether you have cirrhosis, and your overall health.

If the cancer is early stage and your liver is healthy, surgery may be an option. If the tumors are small and haven¡¯t spread to nearby blood vessels, your doctor may suggest a liver transplant.

Sometimes surgery isn¡¯t an option, especially if the tumor is too large to be removed safely or is in a difficult location. In these cases, your doctors may recommend radiation therapy, which uses an external beam of X-rays or protons to destroy tumors. They may also suggest radiofrequency ablation, which uses a needle-thin probe to deliver electric currents directly to the tumor, heating it until it¡¯s destroyed.

Another approach is to prevent blood flow from reaching tumors through a process called chemoembolization. A needle is inserted into an artery in the groin, and a tiny tube is threaded into the artery that leads to the liver to deliver drugs to the tumor. Afterward, the artery is blocked to prevent blood flow to the liver. In some cases, patients may instead undergo radioembolization, where the doctor injects liquid containing tiny radioactive spheres that treat the tumor.?

Chemotherapy and immunotherapy may also be options for some patients.

What¡¯s next for liver cancer treatment? Tell us about promising research developments and clinical trials here at MD Anderson.

Unfortunately, liver cancer is one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in the U.S. But we¡¯re hopeful for the future based on new research. At MD Anderson, we have several clinical trials exploring new liver cancer treatments.

One clinical trial is comparing chemotherapy with a type of radiation called stereotactic body radiotherapy, which delivers a high dose of radiation precisely to the tumor while limiting exposure to healthy cells.

Another clinical trial is comparing proton therapy with intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and others are looking at T-cell therapy for patients with advanced liver cancer. MD Anderson is also investigating using microscopic glass beads called TheraSpheres to target tumors with internal radiation in a treatment called radioembolization.

What advice do you have for liver cancer patients?

There are many liver cancer treatment options, but not all options are right for all patients. And weighing through these treatment options can be overwhelming, so make sure you find a team of doctors you trust who can answer your questions and help you choose the right treatment for you. ?

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Did you know that the liver is the only internal organ that can regenerate? But it doesn¡¯t grow back like a salamander¡¯s tail. When a portion of the liver is removed, the remaining tissue grows bigger. This process is called hypertrophy.

We spoke with surgical oncologist , to learn what¡¯s happening when a liver regenerates and what factors can impact success. He shared insights on the phenomenon, including how his team is pioneering a care approach in the United States that anticipates the liver¡¯s ability to bounce back to yield the best results possible for patients with liver cancer.

Let¡¯s start with the basics. What does the liver do?

The liver plays three main roles: It serves as a protein factory, a blood filter and a metabolic processor.

The liver produces important proteins that work to balance the thickness of your blood. If the liver isn¡¯t functioning properly, such as from not getting the right nutrients or because of damage like cirrhosis or surgery, your blood may become too thin. With thin blood, you¡¯re more likely to bruise and/or bleed from something as simple as brushing your teeth or shaving.

You can also think of the liver as a water filter. It cleans the huge volume of blood that flows from the gastrointestinal tract back to the heart. If the liver is damaged, fluid can get backed up and lead to a bloated belly.

Lastly, the liver supports metabolic processing. It creates bile that aids food digestion and that helps the body absorb medication.

We often associate liver dysfunction with yellow skin, but that¡¯s not always the case. If one or all of these functions aren¡¯t fulfilled, it¡¯s considered liver failure. And it¡¯s not always apparent by a person¡¯s outward appearance.

What¡¯s happening when the liver regenerates?

Anytime the blood flow is reduced to one part of the liver, the liver will compensate and get bigger if the remaining part is healthy. The cells that grow bigger or hypertrophy are immature, so they don¡¯t have the full function of the mature liver cells yet. But over time ¨C in many cases, in just a few days ¨C they mature and work just as well as the cells that were removed.

Many patients who receive liver cancer surgery see that their remaining liver tissue grows to be almost as big as what was removed only a month after surgery. We see this in patients who have even up to 50% of their liver removed.

We use a test that measures bilirubin levels to help track the function of the liver. When the liver isn¡¯t working properly, bile builds up, and the bilirubin level increases. Once we see that number peak and then start to drop, we know the liver is fine.

We find that for most patients, the liver performs just as well after surgery. It¡¯s as if we didn¡¯t do the surgery. It¡¯s pretty amazing how the liver can bounce back in such a short time.

How does liver regeneration play into the development of a cancer treatment plan?

When planning treatment, we count on the liver to regrow after surgery. With surgery to the lungs, kidney, pancreas, stomach or intestines, we think very carefully about how much tissue we remove because these organs can¡¯t regenerate. There¡¯s no going back.

With liver surgery, we are still very careful, but we plan for some growth to make up for what we remove. We formulate a plan specific to each patient to remove the necessary portions of the liver while leaving a minimum total 30% to grow back. We calculate that using a computer software that measures the size of the liver in relation to a patient¡¯s body size.

We are also careful to remove only what is necessary. That's important for patients¡¯ quality of life. Also, if the liver cancer comes back, we want to ensure a patient has plenty of liver to take more chemotherapy, if necessary, or even have surgery again. We're not just getting rid of cancer today. We're trying to set up patients to be strong should they ever face a diagnosis again.

What research is being done surrounding liver regeneration and cancer?

For the past two decades, MD Anderson has been the leading group in the United States to study preoperative portal vein embolization (commonly referred to as PVE) to grow the liver before surgery. The approach was originally developed in Japan.

About a month before surgery, we deliver small particles to the portion of the liver that we plan to remove to block the blood flow. It helps to redirect the blood to the healthy portion of the liver, which can help it grow ahead of surgery. By growing the healthy portion of the liver, we can hit the 30% mark. It¡¯s amazing because we¡¯re able to offer life-saving liver surgery to patients who previously weren¡¯t eligible.

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If you¡¯ve been told you need a liver biopsy, you might have some questions. What will the liver biopsy reveal? Will the procedure hurt? How long will it take to recover??

Read on to find the answers to these and eight other questions patients ask me about liver biopsies.

What is a liver biopsy?

A liver biopsy is a procedure in which a doctor extracts a small amount of tissue from that organ using a needle and sends it off for examination under a microscope.?

Why might I need a liver biopsy?

When an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI shows something unexpected in your liver that cannot be explained based on imaging alone, a biopsy can help us obtain?an accurate diagnosis ¡ª whether that turns out to be liver cancer, a benign condition or something else entirely.?

If a radiologist sees something suspicious in your liver on imaging and your physician is unsure of the cause, they may order a liver biopsy to figure out what¡¯s going on. In patients with known cancer, the biopsy of cancerous lesions in the liver may also help guide treatment by looking for certain mutations.?

Are there different kinds of liver biopsies?

Yes. At MD Anderson, our interventional radiologists perform about 140 image-guided liver biopsies per month. We use ultrasound, CT or MRI imaging during biopsy procedures to help us determine the best place to insert the needle and collect samples.

Most liver biopsies are performed targeting a specific lesion or abnormality. The rest are non-targeted, or not taken from any particular lesion within the liver. A fair number of liver biopsies are performed for reasons other than a cancer diagnosis.?

Aside from liver cancer, what else can a liver biopsy detect?

Here are some conditions that a liver biopsy may reveal:

• abscess: a pus-filled pocket often caused by infection
• autoimmune disorders: includes inflammatory conditions such as auto-immune hepatitis
• cholangitis: inflammation of the bile ducts, which can be due to infection or inflammatory conditions like primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
• cirrhosis: scar tissue in the liver
• cyst: a fluid-filled sac
• fatty liver disease: a build-up of fat within liver tissue; often seen with excess body weight
• focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH): a benign, or non-cancerous, lesion
• hemangioma: an abnormal collection of blood vessels that can mimic cancer on imaging
• hepatic adenoma: another type of benign tumor; uncommon
• infection
• inflammation?

Keep in mind this isn¡¯t an all-inclusive list; sometimes there are other things that a liver biopsy may reveal.?

We also perform liver biopsies on patients who are in active cancer treatment because some therapies ¡ª such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy ¡ª can affect the liver. We monitor those patients¡¯ liver function with blood tests, so we can quickly address any problems.

How long does a liver biopsy take?

The procedure itself usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, but sometimes it can take an hour or more. Depending on the complexity of the procedure, it could take as long as 45 to 90 minutes.

What are the risks of a liver biopsy?

The main risk is bleeding. We do everything we can to mitigate that risk and ensure patients can safely tolerate the biopsy. We use small needles specifically designed for biopsies. We typically ask patients taking blood thinners to stop these medications before a procedure. We also obtain bloodwork before any liver biopsy to assess clotting function and confirm that minimum parameters are met to allow for a safe procedure.?

In most situations, bleeding due to a liver biopsy is minimal and resolves on its own. Rarely, additional procedures may be needed to stop the bleeding.?

Another risk is pain. We may need to pass the needle in between ribs to access the liver, and there are many nerves there. In addition, the liver surface can be sensitive and may be an additional source of pain. Soreness after a liver biopsy can last for a few days. Most people will not have too much pain, though, and it¡¯s easily treatable with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Infection is an additional risk, though it¡¯s very uncommon.

Will I have to be put to sleep for a liver biopsy?

Not usually. Most patients only need local anesthetic and intravenous sedation to stay comfortable and relaxed during the procedure. Some people might need slightly deeper sedation than others, but it¡¯s uncommon to need general anesthesia for a liver biopsy. The sedation needed for a liver biopsy may be administered by the Interventional Radiology team or a dedicated anesthesia team.

How painful is a liver biopsy?

The combination of local anesthetic and sedation usually keeps the process of getting to the liver itself fairly painless. Some people report feeling a little pain as the needle goes into the liver.? That¡¯s why a little soreness is common afterward.?

Severe pain is unusual, though, and it can be a sign of something more serious, such as internal bleeding. In the rare cases when someone has a lot of pain after a liver biopsy, we will do a thorough examination, which may include additional ultrasound or CT imaging, to make sure we are not missing anything.?

Is a liver biopsy considered a serious procedure?

Any procedure involving a major internal organ is serious by definition. The risk of any procedure is never zero. But liver biopsies are considered minimally invasive procedures that are safe with a relatively low rate of adverse events.

How long do you have to stay in the hospital after a liver biopsy?

The vast majority of liver biopsies are performed in outpatient facilities, and patients go home the same day. We usually monitor you afterward for at least three hours. You will be asked to stay in bed and not move around too much. This is usually not a problem, as most people are still tired from the sedation.

How long does it take to fully recover from a liver biopsy?

Patients can usually return to their desk jobs or those that don¡¯t require any physical labor the next day. We advise patients to avoid heavy lifting for at least a couple of weeks. After that, they can return to their normal activities.

is an interventional radiologist who specializes in minimally invasive, image-guided liver and vascular interventions.

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Jerry Achan describes the day he collapsed from a stroke as ¡°the luckiest day of my life.¡±

Without that stroke, doctors would never have arranged for him to have yearly CT scans as part of his follow-up regimen. First, the good news: The scans detected no signs of blocked arteries that could have led to another stroke. Now, the bad: One scan revealed multiple tumors scattered throughout his liver.

¡°I went in to because of one disease and come out with another,¡± Jerry says.

A biopsy confirmed his diagnosis: stage II hepatocellular carcinoma ¨C the most common form of liver cancer.

¡°I was completely blindsided because I had no symptoms,¡± he recalls. ¡°Who knows how long the cancer would have continued spreading if I hadn¡¯t had a stroke?¡±

Ruling out liver cancer surgery

After treatment at a local hospital failed to stop the cancer¡¯s spread, Jerry¡¯s doctor referred him to MD Anderson.

Liver cancer specialist , weighed the treatment options. He determined that surgery was too risky.

¡°There were just too many tumors,¡± Kaseb says. ¡°We would lose too much of the liver if we tried to cut them all out.¡±

Some tumors were positioned dangerously close to critical veins and arteries, further ruling out surgery.

Instead, Kaseb prescribed the targeted therapy drug sorafenib. Taken by mouth daily, it blocks the action of kinases, a family of enzymes that drive cancer cell growth.

¡°Sorafenib not only ¡®turns off¡¯ the kinases that are active in Jerry¡¯s cancer type,¡± Kaseb explains, ¡°but it also prevents the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors.¡±

It¡¯s not a cure, he says, but sorafenib can slow or stop the growth of certain cancer cells.

¡°In medicine, we call this stable disease,¡± Kaseb explains. ¡°Patients co-exist with their cancer.¡±

Targeting liver tumors with chemotherapy and ablation

The drug kept Jerry¡¯s cancer at bay for two years, until scans revealed two new grape-sized liver tumors.

Kaseb referred Jerry to interventional radiologist , who uses minimally invasive procedures to kill liver tumors.

The best way to treat Jerry, Kuban determined, was with two different types of nonsurgical? treatment combined into one session.

In a "hybrid" suite with advanced equipment that allowed this two-pronged approach, Jerry underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), the first of the two procedures.

Kuban began by making a tiny incision, about the size of a pencil tip, in his patient¡¯s groin. He then inserted a plastic catheter into the incision and snaked it upward through the arteries to the liver. With the tip of the catheter in place, he delivered?chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumors.

¡°Because very little of the chemotherapy reaches other parts of the body, it¡¯s highly concentrated,¡± Kuban says. ¡°Chemotherapy delivered the traditional way ¨C throughout the blood system ¨C must be given in much lower doses, or else patients couldn¡¯t tolerate it.¡±

Blocking blood vessels to starve tumors

After the drugs were delivered to Jerry's liver, Kuban sent synthetic materials through the catheter to the blood vessels that fed the tumors. This procedure, called embolization, blocks blood flow to the tumors and causes them to die from lack of oxygen and nutrients.

¡°An added bonus is that the loss of blood flow from embolization keeps the chemotherapy drugs from being washed away in the bloodstream, making it more effective,¡± Kuban says.

TACE is a valuable treatment, he says, but not often a cure.

¡°Additional tumors may form over time,¡± he explains, ¡°or new blood vessels may grow in existing tumors.¡±

About 70% of patients see improvement in the liver after this two-step technique.?

Turning up the heat to destroy tumor tissue

After the TACE procedure was completed and he was still sedated, Jerry underwent a second procedure to shrink or destroy his smaller-sized tumors.

Using live CT images of Jerry¡¯s liver for guidance, Kuban placed needles? through the skin into each tumor. The needles transmitted heat, generated by microwave energy, to kill the cancer cells.?This technique is called microwave ablation.

¡°At MD Anderson, we use special software that confirms the heat killed all the tumor tissue," Kuban says. "Our success rate is more than 95%, among the highest in the nation."

Microwave ablation is best used for tumors no larger than 3 centimeters across, he says, which is a little over an inch.

"However, by combining TACE with microwave ablation, we can 'push the envelope' and treat larger tumors," he says, "like we did for Jerry.

A testament to multidisciplinary care

Jerry¡¯s disease remained stable for four years, until scans detected a new tumor this May. Kuban delivered another dose of microwave ablation, and, once again, the tumor shriveled, then disappeared.

¡°Jerry is a real success story, thanks to the combination of microwave ablation, TACE and sorafenib," Kuban says. ¡°He¡¯s been taking sorafenib for six years. During that time, his cancer has grown only twice, and when it did, we quickly treated it. This is a powerful testament to the quality of MD Anderson's multidisciplinary care."

Living with cancer is Jerry¡¯s ¡°new normal¡± and he¡¯s fine with that.

¡°I have support from my family, the good lord, and an excellent team of MD Anderson doctors,¡± he says. ¡°To discover my cancer the way I did, and to have a place like MD Anderson to go to for treatment ¨C well, you can¡¯t get any luckier than that.¡±

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"Cancer? What do you mean I have cancer? I feel fine."?

This is what I said to myself when I woke up the first couple of mornings after I was diagnosed with liver cancer.?

However, I quickly decided that I was going to get through this by controlling the only thing I could control -- my attitude. I couldn't control the blood tests, doctor appointments, the scans, the blood tests, the surgery, the blood tests, the exams and did I mention the blood tests?

So, I decided that I was NOT sick. I just had cancer. Yes, it was liver cancer. Yes, it was caught early during a routine scan after about of kidney stones, and yes, I was better off than some and worse off than others. But I would get through this, and I would do it with the help of my MD Anderson family.

Finding family through liver cancer treatment
As I've learned, the thing that means the most when going through cancer is family. For me, that meant not just my wife, kids, siblings and parents, but also my MD Anderson family.

My wife and I came to MD Anderson for a second opinion just about 12 months ago. I remember the first time we stepped in the doors at MD Anderson. Oh my, so many people with those little white wristbands you get every time you come in for any type of appointment. It was unnerving, yet calming.

My first impression when I saw all of the patients was that I was not alone. To me, that little wristband was a badge of honor. As soon we met our oncologist David Fogelman, M.D., our surgeon Jean-Nicholas Vauthey, M.D., the nurses, the physician assistants and even the receptionists and volunteers, we felt at home. We made the decision on the spot to switch to MD Anderson. We knew we were among family here.

My liver cancertreatment at MD Anderson
My major liver-resection surgery took place at MD Anderson on Oct. 7, 2014. I'd never had surgery before, so having major surgery for my first time was quite an experience. However, with the support of my family, including my MD Anderson family, I was home within a week and on my way to recovery.

We started the first of my 12 chemotherapy?treatments in early December. Again, my MD Anderson family made the process assmooth as it could be. After the first couple of infusions, undergoing a 6-hour treatment once every three weeks started to become routine, and I knew what to expect.

As I tell others, my side effects were not too bad, but it's different for everyone. There are so many variables involved, including the combinationof chemo drugs, how your body reacts, what kind of cancer you have and how you react to all the other medicine they give you.?

Life after my liver cancer treatment
I finished my chemo treatments this past July and had a clear scan late that month, so now I am on what they call surveillance. I just wish they could find a better word. I have visions of MD Anderson installing cameras in my house and just hope they keep the camera away from the kitchen as my appetite is now back to normal.

My next scan is at the end of October right before Halloween. Hopefully, that scan won't show any ghouls or gobblins. But the way I look at it, I can still only control my attitude, and that's what will get me through whatever life throws at me. My family, including my MD Anderson family, would agree.

Eric volunteers withmyCancerConnection, MD Anderson's one-on-one support program. To connect withother cancer patients and caregivers through myCancerConnection, please call 800-345-6324 or visit myCancerConnection online.

Sally Hargroves has always been active and full of energy, so when the Floridian became increasingly tired in 2010, she suspected something was wrong. Three different doctors told her it was just a side effect of being 65.

¡°I really didn¡¯t want to believe that; it just didn¡¯t sit right,¡± she said. ¡°I was getting ready to believe it until one doctor just put her hands on her hip and she said, ¡®Well what do you want me to do about it ¨C you want me to do an ultrasound?¡¯ And I said, ¡®Sure, why not?¡¯¡±

By the time Sally made it home from her ultrasound appointment, the doctor had left a frantic message on her answering machine.

¡°She was dumbfounded that something was actually in my liver,¡± she says.?

A liver cancer diagnosis

An MRI performed the day before Thanksgiving 2010 confirmed that Sally had multiple tumors on her liver. After conferring with her local oncologist, she decided to seek further treatment and recalled advice she once heard from her physician father.

¡°He said, ¡®Anybody who has cancer, I don¡¯t care where you live in the world, you go to MD Anderson.¡¯ So that¡¯s what I did,¡± she says.

?In January 2011, Sally traveled to MD Anderson and met with , who confirmed that she had cholangiocarcinoma, a type of liver cancer.

¡°Dr. Vauthey was fabulous,¡± she says. ¡°He was always reassuring. He was very forthcoming. I appreciated him being direct. He was extremely personable.¡±

Sally¡¯s liver cancer treatment

A month later, Sally returned to Houston for liver cancer treatment. Vauthey surgically removed the lobe with the tumors.

¡°Dr. Vauthey said I was very fortunate that my tumors were all in one lobe and he could just remove it,¡± she recalls.

Sally spent a week in the hospital, then remained in Houston for a month after discharge. She spent that time trying to come to terms with the major roadblock in her life

¡°The people that I met at MD Anderson were as much of the part of my cure as Dr. Vauthey, and he was the one who wielded the scalpel,¡± she says. ¡°I didn¡¯t have my friends to rally around me, so I had to depend on all these wonderful people. I¡¯m just very, very grateful, and I feel very fortunate.¡±

It took about three weeks before all the pain from her surgery went away, and Sally couldn¡¯t drive or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for three months. After that, her life resumed its normalcy -- though now every day is a little sweeter.

¡°I was given a reprieve to be able to continue,¡± she says. ¡°I just recently became a grandmother, so I¡¯ve gotten the chance to enjoy and love my grandson. It just makes everything more colorful.¡±

Giving hope to others through myCancerConnection

Sally says the hardest part of her journey came before for her first appointment at MD Anderson. The statistics and stories she¡¯d read on the internet had robbed her of hope.

¡°They made me think that I was dying and that I had this terminal disease,¡± she says. ¡°I was absolutely petrified, and then I realized there was no reason to dwell on it.¡±

That¡¯s why she now volunteers with myCancerConnection, MD Anderson¡¯s one-on-one support program. She wants to offer newly diagnosed patients the hope she so desperately needed when she first turned to the internet for advice.

¡°I¡¯d like to give them friendship and warmth,¡± she says.

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.