Living-donor liver transplant gives LA mother a new lease on life after silent stage 4 colon cancer
Amy Piccoli, a 39-year-old Los Angeles mother, was diagnosed with asymptomatic stage 4 colon cancer and later received a living-donor liver transplant that cleared her of disease.
A stomach bug in May 2024 led Amy Piccoli to the emergency room, where imaging uncovered liver spots and a colon tumor, culminating in a shock diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer with no prior symptoms. Specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering noted the rarity of such silent late-stage disease. Following immunotherapy that significantly reduced tumor size, surgeons excised the colon cancer, yet the liver lesions could not be removed.
Northwestern Medicine’s transplant team assessed her suitability and, after confirming eligibility, arranged a living-donor liver transplant using a graft from Lauren Prior. Post-surgery, Piccoli spent three months in Chicago adjusting to anti-rejection drugs and undergoing scans, then returned home to continue periodic monitoring for five years. Doctors say the procedure offers a high five-year survival rate for carefully selected patients, turning what was once a hospice prognosis into hope. Piccoli now looks forward to a normal summer with her four-, seven-, and eight-year-old children.
