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This news made me so happy. Kaiser and I have been pretty worried about Michael Douglas after he was diagnosed with stage four throat cancer in August of last year. Douglas, 66, had a walnut-sized tumor under his tongue, and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones was furious at doctors who took too long to discover the problem. While his outlook seemed positive, and he was hopeful about his prognosis, just the sheer progression of his cancer made it sound grim. From what I understand, Stage 4 cancer is the most serious. Douglas told Matt Lauer that his tumor is gone now, and he thinks he’s beaten cancer.
In his first television interview since undergoing treatment for throat cancer, Michael Douglas tells TODAY’s Matt Lauer that his tumor is gone and he’s got his cancer beat.
“The odds are, with the tumor gone and what I know about this particular type of cancer, that I’ve got it beat,” Douglas said during an interview that will air Tuesday on TODAY. Douglas said that he still has to undergo monthly checks to be sure the cancer is gone, but he’s already quantifying how having the disease has changed him.
“It’s put a timeline on my life,” Douglas said. “I’m 66 now. You know, I’m fortunate I’ve got a mother who’s 88. She’ll kill me. She may be 87. My father’s 94. So, you know, I feel good about those genes. But it’s definitely a third act. And so you’re a little more conscious of your time in how you choose to spend it.”
As for how he’s spending his time now, Douglas is beginning to get back to a normal life. “I’m eating like a pig … I lost about 32 pounds. And I’ve put about 12 back,” Douglas said. Now that his chemotherapy and radiation treatments are done, Douglas has few restrictions on his day-to-day activities. He’s working out at the gym, though “they want to keep the cardio down because they want me to put some more weight on.”
Douglas also says that his experience with cancer has given his life more depth. “You know, maybe it has to do because of everything life threatening. So all of a sudden the affection from my family, from my friends, and from my fans hit me at a much deeper level than I would have ever imagined before. And it gave me a really new appreciation of just how valuable, how precious good friends are and family. And it’s not that I disregarded them before but there’s a much deeper feeling. And I’ve talked to other cancer survivors about this, that — that happens, that you just really, really appreciate what’s important in life.”
Catch more of the interview on TODAY Tuesday morning and the complete interview on Sunday’s “Dateline NBC.”
[From Todayshow.com]
There’s a follow-up article on the Today Show’s website that discusses how this type of cancer can recur and needs to be carefully monitored.
Douglas also explained that his mouth is dry after his salivary ducts were closed from the effects of the chemotherapy. (They’re expected to return to normal after a year.) He said that having a dry mouth affected his sleep and that he also suffers fatigue. Other than that, he says he’s doing well and sounds cautiously optimistic. When Lauer asked him about it he called the radiation and chemotherapy “lousy” though and said “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Douglas discussed the photographs that came out of him looking gaunt during his treatment, and said they lead his loved ones to worry. He thinks that his dad, Kirk Douglas, came and visited him for a week because of those pictures. As for the paparazzi, he was very matter-of-fact and reserved about how they stalked him while he was at his weakest. “I resent the amount of imposition on our children… there was sort of a macabre enjoyment of sort of watching me go down [healthwise] by the paparazzi.”
Douglas said that facing death helped him experience love and caring from others at a level he hadn’t before. The “affection from my family, my friends and from my fans hit me at a much deeper level than I would ever have imagined before.”
Congratulations to Douglas. He fought hard and it looks like he’s triumphed. He’s now preparing for his role as Liberace and says he’s getting his “fingers ready.” I’m so happy to see him looking healthy and ready to work again.
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Cancer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Health, Michael Douglas
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35 Responses to “Michael Douglas has beaten throat cancer, his tumor is gone!”
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I am glad he is OK I had a feeling he would be fine he is one tough customer. I wish him and his family the best because they have been through alot.Those Star stories were malicious. Like the ones about Patrick Swayze. I would rather anything on tab covers than vicious stories about sick people or kids.
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Yay! That’s really great.
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Yay
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Hooray for him and his family! Cancer is such an evil disease. I’m so glad he has beaten it and pray that there are no recurrences.
Nothing like almost losing it all to make one appreciate what they have. Puts it all into perspective.
Oh, and I can totally empathize with the salivary duct issue he is having…I had surgery in November to have one of mine removed (thank God not cancerous, but it was a concern). The dry mouth is okay during the day, but at night? Very frustrating.
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Good news. He looks more robust in photos.
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Very happy for him & his family!
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Great news for them.
I wonder what kind of chemo he had though, as he still has his hair. I’ve just had my second chemo and I’m pretty much nearly bald. I know they all have different side effects, but I thought that was a common one.
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He looks good in these pictures. I really hope he does have it beat.
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He is awesome, and so is his dad. Very happy for him!!
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@ Samihami – Try Oasis mouthwash. You may have to have it ordered by a pharmacy, although it’s OTC. It’s much better than anything else out there IMO.
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that is good news.
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Really? I’ve never heard of Oasis, but I’m going to look for it. Thanks for the tip!
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That’s so great!!!
God bless him and his family!
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I saw the interview and he seems very humbled and postitive and strong. Having gone through the same type of cancer with a family memeber, though, I think it is a little early to say he has this thing beat. He is fighting, and he is winning, but the battle is far from over. Cancer is generally looked at 5 years out, and considering he is still in his first year, Michael will continue to need our prayers and support.
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awesome news!!!
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Yay! Best wishes to him! *Crossing fingers and toes*
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@Samihami – My brother in law chews gum to get the saliva going. He had throat cancer and an operation. (Sorry, I don’t know all the details, and he dosen’t like to talk about it).
I know it won’t help in the daytime. Thanks for the tip #10. I’ll tell him about that.
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@ orion 70: First of all – fingers crossed for you to beat it and get better.
The kind of drug that is used for the chemo is depending on the type of cancer and on the center where you are being treated. Some big university medical centers do experimental types of therapy where they “tailor” everything according to your individual needs – body size, weight, cell count etc etc – and instead of giving you one infusion/drip, they stretch the whole thing out for a few days (dilute it), making it less aggressive. These types of parameter need to be very closely monitored, it’s of course very expensive, and it doesn’t work on every kind of cancer yet.
It’s actually more commonly used in Europe already because over there health is a basic human right and not a commodity.
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Good for Michael and his family.
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Great news, way to go Michael!
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I am very happy for him but I hope he takes this opportunity to STOP SMOKING! This is what caused the cancer in the first place. Catherine should stop too.
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This is great news. I wish him well on his road to recovery.
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Great news for him and his family!
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To orion70, I had surgery and chemo a few years ago and was told the hair loss was a common side-effect and that most people lose it. Mine started breaking off so I got a mohawk. It only lasted a few days but helped somehow.
I got really paranoid that people would know or look at me weird or whatever then someone told me…”It’s only hair.” Once that sunk in I was mostly ok with it. You save on shampoo, it’s much cooler and you get used to it. Is cold in wintertime tho. If the cancer comes back I’ll have to do chemo again, if that happens…I’m getting a mohawk and dyeing it blue asap!
It’s only hair.
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Great news.
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I love that last picture. Wow, I didn’t know his dad was 94 and I found his little comment after announcing his mom’s age is endearing. It’s so great to hear that someone made it through stage 4 cancer.
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A friend of mine was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer metastasized to her liver in Sept 2009. She was in bad shape, but after chemo she is now ready for her surgery next month. Stage 4 used to be an automatic death sentence, but not anymore.
Best of luck to him. He’ll be monitored very closely and that should help.
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I am SO happy to hear this.
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is about time for some good news! happy for him!
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Really glad to hear he’s doing so well. And wow, he looks so much like his dad in those stills!
Sincere best wishes, orion!
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May Michael live a long life and enjoy every single day to its fullest potential.
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Thank God for anyone who can beat cancer. My mom was a 28 year cancer survivor, so I beleve anything is possible. Also I feel your attitude has a lot too do with recovery. MD always had a I’m going to beat this thing attitude.
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Good news but I have heard of people whom have had this type of cancer saying they are healed and it comes back with a vengeance at a later date.
I truly hope he has beaten this hideous cancer
Debbie
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Catherine will be stuck with him for a while yet. LOL.
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My husband beat throat cancer for 6 years before it killed him. It´s the worst cancer there is. He changed too, he wasn´t the man I knew and loved. Terrible terrible disease.
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