Actress Marcia Cross opened up to the world about her anal cancer, which was likely caused by the strain of HPV that may have been the cause of her husband’s throat cancer several years back.
The 57-year-old former Desperate Housewives star is currently in remission and has been talking about the dangers associated with sexually transmitted diseases. She has been outgoing about HPV prevention and encourages people to ask their doctor for the HPV vaccine.
She said too many people are ashamed to have cancer because of an STD as if they did something bad. However, the fact they have cancer should be enough on their plate. Cross said it took her a while to grasp the concept that she had anal cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said HPV is the cause of over 90 percent of anal cancers, spreading from each person through sex or even just skin contact.
In 2009, Cross’ husband Tom Mahoney had throat cancer, and his treatment was successful. The couple had no idea that their two cancers would be caused by a single entity – or infection.
In late 2018, Cross announced she was free of cancer. She had six weeks of radiation on top of two weeks of chemo. She made the announcement on Instagram, saying she was healthy and happy to be cancer-free. She thanked her friends for all their love and support during her battle.
Written by Mark Riegel, MD
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