Article by: Kathleen Valones & Dr. Zoe Arugay
Michael Douglas sat down with David Letterman last Tuesday night and talked about his throat cancer. Douglas said that he is now at Stage 4 which is in its most advanced stage.
The Oscar-winning actor said he has just undergone his first of eight weeks of radiation and chemotheraphy. He attributes this to his smoking and drinking.
Stage 4 throat cancer is defined as: The cancer has spread to tissues around the lip and mouth. The lymph nodes may or may not contain cancer or the cancer is any size and has spread to more than one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the cancer, to lymph nodes on one or both sides of the neck or to any lymph node that measures more than 6 centimeters (over 2 inches).
When doctors detected Douglas’ throat cancer last month, it had already reached an advanced stage. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Douglas’ wife, told People magazine she was furious doctors did not find the cancer earlier. “He sought every option and nothing was found,” she said. What exactly happened there, Catherine?
However, Merck Manual states that "Sometimes, however, a lump in the neck resulting from the cancer's spread to a lymph node may be noticed before any other symptoms." Thus, it could be possible that when Douglas noticed anything, it was already in its late stages. Moreover, the location of the throat cancers is not easily seen. Had he been experiencing any irritation in the throat, it may still not directly point to cancer. Throat complaints are also very non-specific, all the more making an early diagnosis difficult.
What are his chances of survival? According to the Merck Manual, about 85 to 95% of people with small cancers that have not spread anywhere survive for 5 years, compared with fewer than 50% of those who have cancer that has spread to the local lymph nodes. For people who have metastases beyond the local lymph nodes, the chance of surviving longer than 2 years is poor.
For his case, Douglas announced that his doctors told him of his 80% chance of full recovery, reason for his optimism.
Michael Douglas has a long way to go, but anything is possible.
See more photos of Michael Douglas, click the image below:
