Mary Ann Colf - Four-Time Cancer Survivor

Long-time Santa Clarita resident Mary Ann Colf had a persistent stomachache so she made an appointment to see her doctor. During a scan of her abdomen, her physician noticed a nodule on her lung. Colf describes herself as “prone to cancer,” since she was an ex-smoker for 43 years and had been diagnosed with breast cancer twice as well as cancer in her bladder, all of which were treated at Keck Medicine of USC.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and Keck Medicine of USC have collaborated in a Joint Venture to bring world-class cancer care to the Santa Clarita Valley.

Because of her medical history, Colf was advised to monitor the nodule. When it began to grow and after she sought the opinion of specialty doctors, it was determined that this most likely represented a primary lung cancer for which she was recommended to undergo a non-surgical treatment called Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy.

 After three treatment sessions, Colf’s physicians noted the nodule had shrunk significantly. Now she undergoes her regular CT scan screening at Tower Imaging Center on the Henry Mayo Campus to monitor any changes, and sees her treating physician, Dr. May Lin Tao of Keck Medicine of USC and Henry Mayo for surveillance and follow-ups.

“If it wasn’t for that stomach ache I wouldn’t have found that spot. There were no signs or symptoms of a spot even being there,” Colf said. “It was accidently found, I made sure to follow up routinely, and started treatment right away when it started to change. I’m blessed to have been able to detect all the cancers early which prevented the need for surgery or chemotherapy.”

“Mary Ann’s story is an object lesson on the importance of early detection, which can lead to more curable disease and less treatment,” said Dr. Tao.  Low dose CT scans of the chest are an excellent modality to pick up early, curable lung cancers. Dr Tao emphasized, “Only about 5% of patients who are eligible for low dose CT for lung cancer screening actually receive it and hence there are many missed opportunities for curing patients with far less toxic treatments.”