VIDEO : Marcia Cross Says Her Anal Cancer Is Linked To Husband's Throat Cancer

Marcia Cross wants to end the shame surrounding anal cancer.

The "Desperate Housewives" star appeared on Wednesday's episode of "CBS This Morning" to discuss her diagnosis more than a year ago.

Cross, 57, said it came about as a result of a routine digital rectum exam during a visit to her gynecologist.

Cross is talking about her cancer battle to help destigmatize the disease.

Her husband, actor Tom Mahoney, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2009.

Doctors now suspect that Cross' cancer and Mahoney's came from the same type of human papillomavirus, known as HPV.