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Mom Beats Stage 4 Cancer With Rare Liver Transplant
18 Mar
Summary
- Stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosed with no prior symptoms.
- Underwent a rare liver transplant, uncommon in the U.S.
- Received a living donor transplant from a childhood friend.
Amy Piccioli, a Los Angeles mother of three, has successfully overcome stage 4 colorectal cancer thanks to a rare liver transplantation procedure. She was diagnosed last year at age 39 with no prior symptoms, an experience she described as shocking.
Following chemotherapy and surgery to remove a tumor from her colon, Piccioli's cancer had spread extensively throughout her liver. A resection was not possible, and systemic chemotherapy offered only a slim chance of complete eradication.
Liver transplantation, while more common in Europe, is an uncommon treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in the U.S. Piccioli's care team discovered Northwestern Medicine in Chicago offers a specialized program for such cases.
Her childhood friend, Lauren Prior, became a living donor, and the transplant was performed in December 2025. This made Piccioli the first recipient of a living donor transplant for metastatic colon cancer at Northwestern.
Piccioli is now cancer-free, with her latest screenings showing no evidence of disease. She is scheduled to return home to Los Angeles in late March after ongoing monitoring in Chicago.
