Also, Farrah is suing the National Enquirer, stating their reports on her cancer have caused her emotional distress. Their latest report of her relapse was published before she had a chance to tell her family the news.

In a statement released Friday, her publicist, Craig Nevius, writes, "While Farrah is prepared to continue the fight she began last fall, she is not prepared to allow the tabloids to continue to invade her privacy or use one confirmed truth as the foundation on which to build numerous fabricated articles."

One problem in assessing Farrah's case is that we are not exactly sure what she has. Like many celebrities, she has given only a partial disclosure of her illness. The best guess is that she has anal cancer, which is what her ex-husband, Ryan O' Neal, announced to the media. But even if this is the case, we do not know what stage of anal cancer she has. The most localized and treatable anal cancers, stage I and stage II, have a much better prognosis than those, stage III and stage IV, that have spread to nearby lymph nodes or beyond.

We know that Farrah received both chemotherapy and radiation. This suggests that her cancer was stage II or higher, although at times such aggressive therapy is given to stage I lesions. Nevertheless, even if she had a stage I or II anal cancer, the five-year survival for such cases is not 100% but 80%.

Farrah's doctor announced that she has had "a full and complete response to treatment" and that her prognosis is excellent. But this is not the same as either a cure or having beaten one's cancer. Only time will tell if this is the case.

Barron H. Lerner, MD, PhD
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Author of "When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine" (Johns Hopkins, 2006)

"I hope that my news might offer some level of inspiration to others who unfortunately must continue to fight the disease," she said. "So to those who are still struggling toward their own victory, stay determined, 'fight the fight' and I will keep you and your families in my thoughts and prayers."

Congratulations and happy birthday, Farrah!

Farrah Kicks Cancer

Tags: anal cancer, cancer news, celebrity news, health, celebrity gossip, news, culture, entertainment

My new book, “When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine,” traces 13 famous medical cases beginning with Lou Gehrig, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1939. Others whose illnesses are described include Margaret Bourke-White (Parkinson’s disease), Brian Piccolo (embryonal cancer), Steve McQueen (mesothelioma), Rita Hayworth (Alzheimer’s disease), Arthur Ashe (AIDS), Lorenzo Odone (adrenoleukodystrophy) and Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer).

The three recent cases nicely demonstrate several themes in the book. When the actress Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer, a rare disorder affecting the end of the intestinal tract, in October, she immediately went public with the news. Like many other sick celebrities, she viewed her diagnosis not only as an opportunity to educate the public about a specific disease but to destigmatize a potentially embarrassing condition.

Fawcett also announced her intention to fight her disease to the maximum. “I am resolutely strong,” she announced, “and I am determined to bite the bullet and fight the fight while going through the next six weeks of cutting-edge, state-of-the-art treatment.” Fawcett will hopefully triumph over her cancer, as did Lance Armstrong, but it is important to note that many other “fighters,” such as Steve McQueen, eventually succumbed to their cancers.

Michael J. Fox, the well-known actor of “Family Ties” and “Back to the Future” fame, exemplifies the sick celebrity who forms a foundation and actively campaigns for increased funding for research into his or her disease. Fox’s advocacy of stem cell research became a political hot potato during the last election cycle, but other celebrities, most notably Christopher Reeve, have also pushed the envelope in pursuit of radically new treatment options for severe conditions.

Ed Bradley’s case was a throwback. When it became known that the veteran journalist had concealed the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that killed him earlier this month, there was some resentment that he had not gone public while he was still alive. After all, it was argued, he could have done a great service in informing the public about CLL. A lung disease activist who recently attended one of my lectures expressed a similar regret that no celebrity with that disease has yet become a recognizable spokesperson. Still, celebrities—other than politicians—are surely under no obligation to tell the public anything about their illnesses.

In sum, celebrity patients have provided important guideposts to patients and families confronting serious diseases. While such stories should not replace “evidence-based medicine” as a mechanism for guiding treatment options, they provide both information and inspiration at a time of great anxiety.

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Barron H. Lerner is a physician and historian at Columbia University and author of “When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine (Johns Hopkins, 2006).

The actress, who appeared with her former "Charlie's Angels" co-stars at an Emmy tribute in August to the late TV producer Aaron Spelling, said she has been overwhelmed by the "outpouring of concern, love, prayers and compassion" she has received from people around the world.

Fawcett Remains Positive Despite Cancer

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