Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas is about to undergo eight weeks of radiation and chemotherapy after the discovery of a throat tumor. His spokesperson said doctors expect the 65-year-old “Wall Street” star to make a full recovery. "I am very optimistic," Douglas said in a statement.
Few details have been released about the tumor, including its exact location, however, it is either affecting his larynx (voice box) or the oropharynx, near the tonsils, Robert Haddad, of the head and neck cancer program at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told USA TODAY's Liz Szabo. The rigorous treatment regimen suggests the tumor is "advanced' cancer, Haddad says. Although the treatment is very tough, it can cure 50 to 80 percent of patients, depending on the location and other details of the tumor, says Haddad, who has no direct knowledge of the case.
Head and neck cancer is a term used to describe a range of malignant tumors that can appear in or around the throat, larynx (voice box), nose, sinuses, and mouth, according to the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). There are five main types of head and neck cancer, named by the part of the body where they begin. The type of cancer Douglas appears to have is commonly known as a larynx cancer. You can learn more about this cancer here: http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Laryngeal+and+Hypopharyngeal+Cancer
Douglas has starred in hits including Fatal Attraction (1988), Wall Street (1988), War Of The Roses (1990), Basic Instinct (1992) and Traffic (2001). Later this year he will appear in the Wall Street sequel, Money Never Sleeps. He is the son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas and the husband of Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago").
Patient Support Organizations:
Oral Cancer Foundation
Phone: 949-646-8000
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org
Support for People with Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC)
Toll Free: 800-377-0928
http://www.spohnc.org