Mom with no symptoms had stage 4 colorectal cancer — and a rare surgery saved her life

A Los Angeles parent of 3 says she’s fortunate to beryllium live aft an uncommon process near her cancer-free.

Amy Piccioli, a engaged CPA, was conscionable 39 erstwhile she visited the ER past twelvemonth for what she thought was dehydration owed to a tummy bug.

Instead, a CT scan revealed a wide successful her colon and aggregate lesions successful her liver, which led to a colorectal crab diagnosis — contempt having "zero signs."

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"I had nary symptoms," Piccioli told Fox News Digital. "I’m 1 of those radical who’s precise diligent astir my wellness and precise cognizant astir changes successful my body. So for this to person happened without immoderate signs oregon symptoms was conscionable shocking to me."

Because the crab had already spread, it was automatically a signifier 4 diagnosis.

Amy Piccioli, a Los Angeles parent of three, says she’s fortunate to beryllium live aft an uncommon process near her cancer-free. (Amy Piccioli)

"I conscionable went numb — I couldn't judge it," Piccioli said. "Immediately, you person those feelings of panic and fear."

In June 2024, Piccioli began undergoing chemotherapy, on with an immunotherapy drug. Just 3 months later, scans showed that the chemo had shrunk the tumors. Next, she underwent country to region a tumor from her colon. 

An improbable path

After completing the accepted courses of treatment, Piccioli recovered herself embarking connected a way to liver transplantation.

"The crab was each implicit my liver," she shared. "In cases wherever the crab is confined to 1 broadside of the liver, they tin fundamentally chopped that information retired … but successful my case, a resection was not a anticipation due to the fact that the crab was everywhere." 

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Although the chemotherapy was successful, she said, "it was ever going to beryllium a ‘whack-a-mole’ situation, wherever I would beryllium connected systemic chemo for an extended play of time, caller worldly would popular up, and it would conscionable beryllium this rhythm implicit and implicit and again."

"The chances of eradicating the crab wholly from my liver with chemo unsocial was precise slim. In cases similar mine, liver transplantation is truly the lone semipermanent solution."

Piccioli (right) is pictured with Dr. Zachary C. Dietch, a transplant surgeon astatine Northwestern Medicine. (Northwestern Medicine)

Liver transplantation arsenic portion of a colorectal crab attraction is much prevalent successful Europe, but not communal successful the U.S.

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"We conscionable didn't deliberation it would beryllium an enactment here," Piccioli said. "It seemed similar thing that was going to necessitate a batch of effort to get."

Her California attraction squad soon discovered, however, that Northwestern Medicine successful Chicago offers a liver transplantation programme specifically for metastatic colorectal crab patients.

"I person nary grounds of illness currently," shared Piccioli, pictured connected the formation with her hubby and 3 kids. (Amy Piccioli)

"When liver metastasis is noted, our aesculapian oncologists, on with our transplant surgeons statesman to marque attraction pathways tailored to the patient," Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and manager of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, told Fox News Digital.

The chances of a palmy transplant beryllium mostly connected however the diligent responds to treatment, according to doctors. In "carefully selected" patients, the five-year endurance complaint tin beryllium 60% to 80%.

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"Response to chemotherapy is simply a captious gatekeeper for liver transplantation successful colorectal liver metastases," Nadig said.

"Demonstrated illness power oregon effect is usually required, arsenic it identifies patients whose tumor biology (less assertive and not spreading quickly) is favorable capable to warrant a transplant."

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Piccioli, who was successful hunt of a surviving donor, shared the request with household and friends. A beingness puerility friend, Lauren Prior, underwent screening and was deemed a match.

The transplant was performed successful December 2025, making Piccioli the archetypal idiosyncratic astatine Northwestern to person a surviving donor transplantation for metastatic colon cancer.

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Today, she and the donor are recovering well.

"The archetypal week oregon 2 were difficult, but by week four, I was up and around, getting backmost to doing mean beingness things," she said. "About 2 months out, I started moving retired again. I'm present 3 months retired and consciousness wholly normal. It’s astonishing what the assemblage tin do."

Piccioli, who was successful hunt of a surviving donor, shared the request with household and friends. A beingness puerility friend, Lauren Prior (right), underwent screening and was deemed a match. (Amy Piccioli)

Piccioli precocious had her archetypal post-transplant humor screening for tumor molecules wrong the body, and nary were detected. "So I person nary grounds of illness currently," she shared. 

She volition stay successful Chicago for ongoing monitoring and screening until the extremity of March, erstwhile she volition instrumentality location to Los Angeles.

On the lookout

Early-onset colorectal crab is often "silent," according to Nadig.

"That’s due to the fact that screening is absent earlier property 45 and symptoms (such arsenic dilatory bleeding) are usually subtle," helium cautioned. Tumors tin besides turn successful hard-to-detect locations, similar the close broadside of the colon, oregon with biology that "delays evident informing signs."

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Although Piccioli experienced nary informing signs, she encourages others to wage attraction to immoderate changes successful the assemblage that whitethorn awesome cancer.

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"Do the screenings astatine the recommended ages, travel up and conscionable beryllium diligent astir your health," she advised. 

"I deliberation a batch of the crushed that I got to Northwestern and was capable to person this transplant was due to the fact that I was truthful diligent astir calling the doctors, scheduling the appointments … I deliberation that is truly the astir important thing: You person to beryllium the skipper of your ain ship."