Health
US Navy veteran beats cancer with experimental treatment and reliance on faith
After facing the threat of active war, many veterans also wage battles with cancer.
One of those is John Ryan of Aldie, Virginia – a U.S. Navy veteran who was diagnosed with lung cancer after serving in the military for 30 years.
Since he enlisted in October 1962, much of the commander’s military service has been “shrouded in secrecy,” according to a November 2024 report from the Cancer Research Institute (CRI).
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In an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Ryan shared that he joined the “nuclear power program” amid the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which he embarked on about a dozen patrols on nuclear submarines.
U.S. Destroyer inspects a Soviet freighter off the coast of Cuba on Nov. 12, 1962. (Getty Images)
Ryan retired from active military service in 1992, and then retired full-time in 2000 to spend time with his family in Northern Virginia.
In 2013, Ryan called his doctor after he began spitting up blood and was sent to the emergency room. His diagnosis was grim: stage 4 adenocarcinoma, otherwise known as non-small cell lung cancer.
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Ryan underwent four sessions of chemotherapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but he did not improve. He also suffered from residual side effects from both chemo and cancer, including fatigue, pain, weight loss and pleural effusion.
Upon seeking a second opinion, Ryan met Julie Brahmer, MD, at John’s Hopkins in Maryland. He was enrolled in a clinical trial for immunotherapy — a type of treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer — that began in October 2013.
Veterans face a 25% higher risk of developing lung cancer due to exposure to toxic substances during military service, according to the VA. (iStock)
Lung cancer poses a larger threat to the veteran community, who faces a 25% higher risk due to exposure to toxic substances during military service, according to Brahmer.
After four infusions of nivolumab (Opdivo) over a nine-week period, Ryan’s CT scans revealed a 65% reduction in tumor size, he told Fox News Digital.
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“The 65% shrink was great and then that just kind of walked down – I was down to like 84% shrink,” he said. “And I was leading a normal life.”
Along with the immunotherapy, Ryan also underwent stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a very targeted type of radiation, which resulted in the arrest of his tumor with virtually no side effects except for minor itching.
John Ryan (right) is pictured with Dr. Julie Brahmer, MD, of Johns Hopkins Medicine. (John Ryan)
Although his cancer improved, Ryan hit a major roadblock in 2022 when he began having trouble breathing and developed chronic pneumonitis, which he shared can occur in patients who receive immunotherapy for long periods of time.
“The psychological difficulty of staying indoors during COVID-19 was relatively easy, because I had a career being in nuclear submarines. And so, the claustrophobic thing wasn’t bad,” he reflected.
“Get a good night’s sleep, shake it off, and the next day you’ll have some blessings you can at least get started with.”
“But what was pretty challenging for me was the unknown path forward, with increased inflammation and reduced lung capacity,” he added.
Ryan’s immunotherapy journey lasted 100 months, amassing hundreds of 160-mile round trips to Johns Hopkins and more than 225 infusions. Today, the veteran is officially cancer-free.
“What was pretty challenging for me was the unknown path forward, with increased inflammation and reduced lung capacity,” said Ryan (not pictured). (iStock)
Ryan shared that one of the best pieces of advice he received was from a Walter Reed nurse, who was frank about the state of his health.
“She said, ‘Let’s cut to the chase, sonny boy, if you don’t take this, you’re going to die.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s sign off on it, shall we?’” he repeated.
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“And she said, ‘You need to take this seriously. Don’t look for things to worry about, because you can get really wrapped around the axle with the pressure and the uncertainty.’”
The nurse also told Ryan, “Working yourself up into a frenzy has absolutely no value. Get a good night’s sleep, shake it off, and the next day you’ll have some blessings you can at least get started with.”
Ryan (pictured at left) advised other cancer patients to avoid working themselves up “into a frenzy” and to stay positive. (John Ryan; iStock)
The veteran also credited his faith for giving him the strength to beat cancer. “You’ve got to draw your hope and courage from somewhere. Faith was high,” he said.
“I had a father who was a military disciplinarian, so I would say the worst thing that can happen is not going to be a bother to me. I’m just going to move forward. And then being with quality people [gave me] the encouragement to do that.”
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In a 2022 CRI seminar, Dr. Brahmer spoke about the success of immunotherapy development, labeling it as the “new foundation” for lung cancer in various stages, as well as other thoracic cancers like mesothelioma.
“New therapies will continue to build on these successes,” she said. “We still have a lot of work to do in these settings. We can certainly improve therapy.”
Dr. Julie Brahmer shared in a seminar how immunotherapy has become the top treatment option in some lung cancer cases. (iStock)
Brahmer expressed that “there is hope” for long-term control of the disease and potentially even a cure.
“It’s very important [for patients] to ask, ‘Is immunotherapy right for me, regardless of the stage and type of cancer that I have?’” she said.
“You’ve got to draw your hope and courage from somewhere. Faith was high.”
Ryan told CRI that immunotherapy represents an “attractive potential for a cure without the serious side effects related to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation,” adding that clinical trials are essential for “safe and viable drug and treatment regimen approvals.”
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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