Michael Douglas has received numerous awards for his work as an actor and director. Just like his father Kirk Douglas, this actor has gained international recognition. But when Starr was diagnosed with an incurable disease, her world changed forever.
The BAFTA award-winning actor began his career in the late 1960s and achieved great success with the film adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He also became a hot topic when he married actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Meanwhile, Douglas struggled to break away from his busy work schedule and glamorous Hollywood lifestyle to battle what he initially thought was throat cancer. Despite the severity of his symptoms, the celebrity said in a candid interview about his health issues that he never thought he would die.
“It’s strange, I know, but I never considered dying during the entire course of chemotherapy and radiation,” he added.
“My mother died at the age of 92,” he remarked.
My father recently turned 102 years old. I’ve never given much attention to death or aging.
Speaking to fellow actor Samuel L Jackson, Douglas said his surgeon recommended that he publish a statement confirming that he has throat cancer, but that if surgery was required, his acting career might have ended.
The surgeon cautioned Douglas that he might lose some of his tongue and jaw.
Douglas gave a surprising interview to the Guardian two years after his recovery in which he shared greater insight on his struggle with cancer, specifically the cause.
He told the newspaper that oral intercourse was the “cause” of tongue cancer because the sexually transmitted disease HPV (human papillomavirus) also causes cancer.
Despite his openness in the interview, the star was compelled to clarify his words after a public outpouring of rage.
Later, Douglas’ publicist informed CNN that the actor did not totally blame his cancer on HPV because he also smoked and drank. According to an official statement:
“Michael Douglas never claimed that cunnilingus caused his cancer.” Although specialists in the story acknowledge that oral sex is thought to contribute to some mouth cancers, he did not directly allege that oral sex caused his personal sickness.
Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer when a “walnut-sized growth” near the base of his tongue was identified. He subsequently began an eight-week intensive treatment of chemotherapy and radiation.
“What a wild ride. That can really wear you out,” he told the Guardian.
“Plus, the amount of chemotherapy I was receiving erased all the good stuff. It made me quite weak.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only half of patients diagnosed with oral cancer survive five years after diagnosis.
The most common reason for this is late diagnosis. According to Cancer Research UK, tongue cancer can develop based on the mouth part of the tongue, the protruding part of the tongue, or language, so it is important to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of tongue cancer. It is important.
Signs of tongue cancer include:
red or white marks on the tongue
Sometimes I feel discomfort in my throat
A sore or sore on the tongue that does not heal
Difficulty swallowing, persistent numbness of the mouth
Unreported bleeding from the tongue (not due to tongue biting or other trauma)
I have some pain in my ear. Douglas is right that HPV can damage the mouth and throat and cause oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the tonsils and base of the tongue).
However, it usually takes many years for a person to develop cancer after being infected with HPV, and other risk factors, such as smoking and chewing tobacco, also play an important role in the progression of the disease.
Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are the three main treatments for tongue cancer, and they can be used alone or in combination. The length of treatment depends on the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. The location of the injury to the tongue must also be considered.
Douglas was suffering from an advanced malignant tumor. This is defined as a tumor that has spread to other organs or lymph nodes, or is larger than 4 cm in diameter. Currently, the most common treatment methods are:
Chemoradiation therapy, which is a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, is given to the throat and neck.
Surgery to remove some lymph nodes from parts of the neck or throat (including all or part of the tongue) may be followed by radiation or chemoradiation therapy.
