My Story: From HPV-16 to Anal Cancer and Advocacy

My name is Angela Falk. I'm a pharmacist, author, advocate, and stage II anal cancer survivor. My cancer story actually began years before I ever heard the words "anal cancer." I had a history of persistent HPV-16 and developed high-grade cervical dysplasia (CIN3), eventually undergoing a hysterectomy. I believed that chapter of my HPV story was behind me. Years later, at age 45, I went for my first colonoscopy with no symptoms and no reason to believe anything was wrong. During that exam, a lesion was discovered in the lower rectal/anal area. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with HPV-16-related anal squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment took me to MD Anderson Cancer Center, where I underwent chemotherapy and pelvic radiation. It was one of the hardest seasons of my life. I experienced severe treatment complications, including radiation enteritis that resulted in an eight-day hospitalization and required TPN. Yet through treatment, fear, uncertainty, and recovery, I learned what it meant to surrender - to my faith, to the people caring for me, and to a strength I didn't always know I had.

Today, I am incredibly grateful to be cancer-free, but survivorship has given me a new purpose. Because my HPV-related disease first appeared at the cervix and later as anal cancer, I have become passionate about increasing awareness of multi-site HPV disease and appropriate screening and follow-up for people at increased risk. HPV does not necessarily affect only one anatomical site. I want patients with a history like mine to feel empowered to talk with their healthcare providers about their individual risks and whether additional surveillance may be appropriate. I also want to help bring visibility to anal cancer and other cancers that patients may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing. No one should ever feel ashamed of where their cancer occurs.

What began as a way to process what happened to me has become another way to connect with patients, survivors, caregivers, and families who may need to know they aren't walking through cancer alone. Cancer changed my life, but it also helped me find my voice. Now I intend to use it - to advocate, educate, encourage others, and bring greater visibility to cancers and experiences that too often remain unseen. Because every story matters