Marcia Cross Discovered Her Anal Cancer Was Linked to Husband's Throat Cancer

Marcia Cross is getting candid about her battle with anal cancer.

The 57-year-old actress was diagnosed with the disease a year-and-a-half ago but is now in remission.

“I know there are people who are ashamed. You have cancer! You have to then also feel ashamed? Like you did something bad, you know, because it took up residence in your anus? I mean, come on, really. There’s enough on your plate,” Marcia told CBS.

During her treatment, Marcia also learned that her cancer was likely caused by the same HPV strain that caused her husband Tom Mahoney‘s throat cancer.

According to the CDC, HPV causes more than 90 percent of anal cancers and can also cause cancer of the cervix, genitals, and throat.

But the types of HPV that most commonly cause cancer can be prevented by a vaccine, which Marcia is now encouraging people to get.

She says her 12-year-old twin daughters, Savannah and Eden, will get their first shot in a few weeks.