Half of colorectal cancer cancers have already spread to the liver by the time of diagnosis. Many doctors tell patients that they are out of surgical options at that point and recommend chemotherapy.

However, doctors at Ohio State's James Cancer hospital disagree that surgery is never an option at that point. Doctors there, including Tanios Saab, say that if chemo or radiation can shrink the tumor, surgeons may be able to go surgically and get the rest out.

The liver is the only solid organ that can grow back once it is cut. Surgeons have found that they can remove as much as 80% of the liver and within a year, the liver will grow back.

Italian opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and recently hospitalized with a fever, died at his native Modena home on Thursday. With him were his wife Nicoletta, four daughters, and his sister. He was 71.
Friends and family had hoped for a miracle for Pavarotti. Sadly, this was not possible. Though to have survived pancreatic cancer for more than one year is quite amazing. The disease is deadly in most cases and most survive for only months.

Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just before he was set to resume a farewell tour in July 2006. Instead, he headed for surgery. He never again performed publicly.

The following post is one of a series of posts appearing Monday through Friday on The Cancer Blog. This feature -- Today, I am grateful -- allows me to share with readers my appreciation for all the treasures in my life, both big and small. In my post-cancer world, I find It healing for my soul to be mindful of the good in my life. It is my pleasure to share my gratitude with you.

When I think about how much my mom rescued me during my breast cancer treatment, I always land at the fact that she watched my little boys for 35 days in a row while I transported myself to and from radiation therapy. That wasn't all she did -- she also accompanied me to surgery, sat with me during chemotherapy treatments, parked herself by my bedside when I was hospitalized, dried my tears, fed me, hugged me, encouraged me, and loved me.

My mom helped me survive cancer. She is my hero.

Today, I am grateful for my mom.

Walking into my cancer center waiting room is one of my most sobering experiences. I enter this room -- jam-packed full of men, women, and children -- every three months for a breast cancer follow-up. It never gets easier. It always startles me, stirs my emotions, makes me realize how so many people are touched by such a treacherous and all-consuming disease. The fact that I sit in this room, that I am one of these many people, still doesn't seem real.

It's been almost three years since I got a phone call from a surgeon declaring, "You have cancer." I didn't believe it then. Even after all I've been through -- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and more -- I hardly believe it now. But it's real. I have scars and new hair and a whole new set of worries to prove it.

Walking into that waiting room proves it's real. There's nothing like it. There's also nothing like walking out, with a clean bill of health and the promise of three more months.

Italian opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, who had surgery for pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and then was hospitalized this August 8 due to a high fever, will stay in the hospital for further testing related to his disease.

Pavarotti, 71, is now fever-free. Still, he will remain hospitalized so his cancer can be fully investigated.

At the time of Pavarotti's surgery, he had been planning to resume his farewell tour. But he has made no public appearances since this time.

My sister has skin cancer -- the basal cell variety. She has two spots, both on her chest, each one scheduled to be surgically removed in a few weeks. If it were me with this new diagnosis, I'm sure I'd be freaking out, maybe because I've already had breast cancer and tend to panic about any cancer or maybe just because I'm a worrier by nature. But my sister is taking her cancer news in stride, and I am too -- because now that I've done a little research, it seems this type of cancer is pretty easy to beat.

Here's a little refresher lesson on the skin: The skin is the largest organ in the body, and is made of three layers -- the epidermis (top layer), dermis (middle layer), and subcutis (deepest layer). For the purpose of this post, let's focus on the epidermis.

The epidermis has three layers -- an upper, middle, and a bottom layer. This bottom layer is comprised of basal cells. This is where basal cell cancer begins.

Good Morning America coanchor Robin Roberts returned to work on Monday, a little more than one week after her breast cancer surgery. Some think her return was a bit hasty. Some think it was the absolute right thing to do. I'm of this camp -- the jump-back-into-life approach. It's exactly what I did after my surgery and throughout every step of my treatment. And while there were surely days I could have cut myself some slack, I tried to keep on my toes. It was the only way I knew how to manage the chaos of cancer.

In the spirit of helping women cope with their breast cancer diagnoses, Roberts' very own doctor offers some insightful words of wisdom. Click here for guidance about returning to work, managing through surgery and radiation, maintaining emotional health, and the importance of mammograms and self-exams.

What is your take on how Roberts is handling cancer and how her doctor is handling the topics that become critical in the fight against this disease?

Italian opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, hospitalized on Wednesday with a fever, is doing better and should be discharged within the next few days, according to his wife, Nicoletta Mantovani.

The 71-year-old tenor underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer one year ago and has since endured at least five rounds of chemotherapy. Although not confirmed, some sources say Pavarotti has pneumonia.

If you plan to tune in to Good Morning America on Monday, you'll see Robin Roberts looking back at you. The co-anchor, 46, expects to back at work on August 13, just 10 days after surgery for breast cancer.

Roberts, who was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump during a self-exam, is still waiting for the test results that will determine her course of therapy. Right now, though, she feels great and looks forward to returning to work alongside Diane Sawyer.

Texas Longhorns running backs coach Ken Rucker will soon take a leave of absence, following his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. Rucker will have surgery on August 27. He wll keep coaching until this date.

Rucker, a 33-year coaching veteran, fully intends on returning to coaching this season.

"I plan to be back this season," he says. "No doubt about it; 100 percent."

Rucker's prognosis is good -- thanks to early detection.

Roger Ebert, one of America's best known film critics, has not been able to speak since he had emergency cancer surgery on July 1 to repair a burst blood vessel near the site of his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. But he can still give a thumbs up or thumbs down as he reviews movies on his Web site.

Starting today, clips from Ebert & Roeper and Ebert's prior episodes of his movie review TV show will be posted here. It just may be the largest collection ever of video-based online movie reviews -- 5,000 movie reviews spanning the past 20 years will be featured.

Ebert is not quite sure when he might return to television as he awaits another surgery to restore his voice. In the meantime, he screens as many as three films a day. He watches DVDs at night to catch up on those he missed, and he's writing more than ever, he says.

We all want an experienced surgeon, of course, but are you sure your surgeon is experienced enough?

In a recent article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, patients with prostate cancer who have a prostatectomy performed by a more experienced surgeon tend to have better outcomes.

A prostatectomy involves removal of the prostate gland and surrounding tissue. A study was done to evaluate the total number of prostatectomies a surgeon has performed and if this indeed had influence on recurrence rates.

It seems so, patients who had a surgeon that performed less than 10 prior prostatectomies had a recurrence rate of 18 percent. Patients who had a surgeon that performed over 250 prostatectomies had recurrence rates of only 10 percent.

I think the take home message here is, no matter what kind of surgery you are getting -- ask your surgeon how many times they have done this specific procedure. If it seems very low you might want to consult another surgeon who has more experience.

Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this Discovery Health article that highlights a variety of myths and then offers the lowdown on each one. Here are seven of them:

Myth #1. There is currently a cure for cancer, but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients.

Chalk this up to urban legend. And consider this: doctors, laboratory scientists, and their families and friends die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else in the United States. How about this: medical breakthroughs happen all the time and are quickly applied. Think about antibiotics and vaccines -- like the polio vaccine -- that have transformed health care. How about this? Not too long ago, less than one in 10 kids with leukemia survived 10 years. Now, the cure rate is nearly 80 percent. Seems like progress to me.

Last Tuesday night, I watched Greta Van Susteren of Fox News' On The Record as she interviewed Brittany Lietz, Miss Maryland 2006. Greta asked Brittany what her Miss Maryland job entails. Brittany told Greta her full-time job is to represent her platform -- skin cancer.

Brittany didn't choose just any topic for her platform. She chose one that is entirely personal.

Skin cancer has left more than 20 scars on Brittany's body. One, on her back, marks the site where a stage two melanoma was removed when she was just 19 years old. It presented as a mole, a little smaller than a nickel, she says. In all likelihood, the cancer was caused by two years of tanning bed use. Brittany says she probably tanned every day for two years. Her pursuit of bronzed skin began when she was 17 and wanted a tan for her prom. It ended after doctors told her she had cancer.

According to University of Cincinnati thoracic surgeons, many academic medical centers can integrate minimally invasive lung surgery into their training programs. Currently, only about 10 percent of lung cancer operations are done with these minimally invasive techniques, but over half of the patients who need the surgery would qualify for this less invasive procedure. Minimally invasive surgery can result in a faster recovery and less pain for the patient.

Minimally invasive lung surgery (thoracoscopic lobectomy) is performed through a series of small incisions rather than a major chest incision.

"Thoracoscopic lobectomy should be considered the standard of care for patients with early-stage lung cancers," says Michael Reed, MD, assistant professor of surgery at UC. "But few surgeons offer the procedure because it's difficult and requires a lot of additional training."

Prior to the implementation of this training program at UC, only 18 percent of lobectomies were performed with minimally invasive techniques; now Reed estimates that 75 percent at the hospital are done using this approach.