Louisiana Dad Corey Holley has been dealing with stomach issues for most of his adult life, but he recently found out that he has a rare hereditary stomach cancer after his 16-year-old daughter, Zoey Holley, was also diagnosed with the disease months before him.
In September 2020, Zoey experienced the worst stomach pain in her life. Doctors initially thought she had gastritis, but the treatments they gave her didn't work.
Her mother, Heather Holley, brought her to Dr. Lawrence Gensler, a gastroenterologist in Covington who initially didn't find anything odd with Zoey's test results. However, the teenager's biopsy later revealed that she had signet rings on her stomach, according to WABF.
Gensler said he was shocked when the pathologist showed him Zoey's result because they don't typically see rare hereditary stomach cancer in young people. Nonetheless, the doctor had to break the bad news to the family and also help Zoey with major surgery.
Testing for the Cancer Gene, Removing Zoey's Stomach
Zoey's condition is also known as signet ring cell carcinoma or hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC). According to Cancer.Net, this disease has a gene marker, CDH1, that can be passed from one family member to the next for generations.
The median age for HDGC diagnosis is 38 years old, but there are other cases, like Zoey, that have learned of their condition a lot earlier. Gensler recommended that the rest of the Holley family get tested for the CDH1 marker so they can do early interventions.
Corey, Heather, and their youngest daughter, Ava Holley, nine years old, had the test. When Heather's results returned negative for CDH1, Corey knew that he was the gene carrier, which means he would undergo the same symptoms as his teenager.
True enough, Corey and Ava were positive for the cancer gene, but that's not the only result they discovered. Corey's rare hereditary stomach cancer was already Stage 3. After seeing hundreds of doctors in the past, his stomach issues finally made sense to him.
Soon after, Zoey and Corey had to undergo an operation to remove their stomach and then attach their esophagus to their small intestines so their body could still process food. A prophylactic total gastrectomy is the most effective way to prevent cancer from spreading, alongside chemotherapy.
The father and daughter's cancer journey with chemotherapy and their recovery from the surgery has been besieged with complications. However, they are slowly recovering from this health crisis together.
Ava's Cancer and the Daughters' Increased Risks
However, it's not the end of the road for the family, as Ava will likely go through the same treatment process as her father and sister. This early, her latest scans show that she has started developing signet ring cells on her stomach. Ava's parents hope she won't have to deal with the surgery and the chemotherapy until she's done with high school.
As a CDH1 carrier, however, the daughters have a higher risk of having breast cancer as they mature. Heather said her girls would need frequent mammograms for as long as they live to detect breast cancer earlier.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh mom Lori Herzog and her daughter Kali have the CDH1 gene as well, and both have developed hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. To be on the safe side, Lori has also undergone a double mastectomy.
Doctors told The Courier-Express that the CDH1 mutation does not usually form tumors or mass; thus, it's harder to detect in tests like mammograms. Instead, its cancer growth is in the lining of the tissues; therefore, regular MRI screenings may also be needed for the patients.
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