Rectal cancer survivor thankful for UT MD Anderson’s patient-centered care

At age 54, Chris Gibson worked out five days a week and ate a healthy diet. He felt like he was in the best shape of his life.

Then, a rectal cancer diagnosis shook up his whole world.

His wife, Taylor, had recently lost her mom to pancreatic cancer – just six weeks after she was diagnosed.

“She lived in Atlanta and couldn’t make it to UT MD Anderson in time,” Chris recalls. “After my rectal cancer diagnosis, Taylor told me, ‘We’re going to do whatever we can to fight this.’ We live in Houston, so we knew we wanted to get a second opinion at UT MD Anderson.”

Often dismissed symptom leads to rectal cancer diagnosis

For several months leading to his diagnosis, Chris had occasionally noticed blood in his stool. He felt fine, so he thought it might be due to hemorrhoids. He mentioned it at his annual physical, so his primary care doctor scheduled a colonoscopy.

During the colonoscopy, the doctor removed nine polyps and found a 7 cm tumor in Chris’ rectum. A biopsy revealed that it was stage 3 rectal cancer.

Chris received the diagnosis on Feb. 2, 2024, just a couple of weeks after he and Taylor learned they were expecting a child.

They began talking to doctors at the hospital where he was diagnosed while they waited for Chris’ first appointment at UT MD Anderson.

“The surgeon gave me percentages that made it seem like surgery was the best option,” recalls Chris, who also had two adult children. “They were ready to start treatment right away, which was a little overwhelming just five days after my diagnosis. My head was spinning, and we told them we’d think about it.”

When he learned an earlier appointment had opened up at UT MD Anderson, he was thrilled.

UT MD Anderson develops treatment plan that aligns with patient’s preferences

Chris met with colon and rectal surgeon Brian Bednarski, M.D., who’d already reviewed the pathology report and his prior scans.

“Dr. Bednarski went over every scenario with us, and he didn’t sugarcoat anything – which we really appreciated,” says Chris. “He gave us no false hope or false positives.”

The tumor was butting up against Chris’ prostate, so Bednarski ordered more scans.

“I told Dr. Bednarski that because of where the tumor sat in my rectum, any type of surgery would be life-altering for me. And I wanted to do everything we could to avoid surgery,” says Chris. “He said, ‘OK.’ I felt like he listened to me, and as a patient, it felt really good to be heard regarding my treatment.”

Bednarski met with a multidisciplinary team of specialists to go over Chris’ case. They developed a plan to treat the cancer while honoring Chris’ desire to avoid surgery.

Chris completed eight rounds of FOLFOX chemotherapy under the guidance of gastrointestinal medical oncologist Ryan Huey, M.D. He then completed chemoradiation. This included 27 days of radiation therapy with radiation oncologist Stephen Chun, M.D., at UT MD Anderson West Houston. Chris also took the oral chemotherapy drug capecitabine for 27 days.

“My radiation team was amazing,” he says. “We live in Cypress, so it was so easy and convenient to get to the West Houston campus.”

Chris completed treatment on Sept. 6, 2024. On that day, he sent a text to friends and family that read, in part: “After one colonoscopy, three sigmoidoscopies, four MRIs, five CT scans, eight rounds of infusion chemo, 27 radiation treatments and 94,500 milligrams of oral chemo, I am done!” 

Managing rectal cancer treatment side effects

Chris’ care team helped him manage his side effects.

One of the chemotherapy drugs given intravenously caused neutropenia, so Huey adjusted the regimen. Chris also experienced severe hiccups, a rare side effect experienced by some patients receiving chemotherapy. His care team prescribed him medicine to help, and the hiccups went away after about a week. He still has some neuropathy in his hands and feet.

Because the radiation therapy was targeted at his pelvic area, Chris experienced painful bowel movements.

“Dr. Chun told me most patients say the first two to three weeks are manageable and that weeks three to five are pretty uncomfortable,” he says. “That was spot on.”

It took about two-and-a-half weeks for Chris to heal after radiation and another six to eight months to have regular bowel movements again.

He also saw urologist Run Wang, M.D., for some sexual side effects and was given information about treatment options if his condition didn’t improve. 

A spirit of gratitude

Chris was due to have his first post-treatment scans six to eight weeks after finishing chemoradiation. But his doctors pushed them out another week – for good reason. He and Taylor welcomed the birth of their baby girl on Oct. 24, 2024.

His scans showed no sign of a tumor, only scar tissue. He had a complete clinical response without the need for any surgery.

“I still get chills reading the update I sent to my friends and family,” he says.

All of his scans since have shown no evidence of disease. He’s on surveillance and comes to UT MD Anderson every four months for follow-ups.

“I’ve had wonderful support from family, friends, support groups and my community,” Chris says. “I love my life. There are a few things that have changed since my diagnosis, but for the most part, I live a normal life.”

Chris encourages anyone facing cancer to lean on their support system, whether it’s friends, work colleagues or family. He also says it’s important to try and maintain as much of your normal lifestyle as possible.

He’s extremely grateful for his UT MD Anderson care team.

“I can’t say enough good things about my experience at UT MD Anderson,” he says. “If someone asked what I would do differently, I'd say, ‘Nothing.’ I got so lucky with the care team I've had. They are second to none.”

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