Hollywood star Michael Douglas said on David Letterman's "Late Show" earlier this week that that he has been diagnosed with stage four throat cancer and is receiving treatment for the same. The actor appeared on the show to promote the release of his new film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps". Talking to Letterman, the 65- year old actor and producer said he has an 80 per cent chance of survival.
Douglas’ press spokesman Allen Burry said that the actor is being treated at Manhattan's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: "The tumor is at the base of his tongue and his doctor's prognosis is for a full recovery," he told ABCNews.com.
Douglas added that he was diagnosed earlier in the summer. Talking about the severity of the tumor, Douglas said, "I am above the neck, so nothing's gone down", and that "the expectations are good".
Douglas told Letterman he used to drink and smoke and that "this particular type of cancer is caused by alcohol and drinking", reported the New York Times. Douglas has now completed the first week of an eight-week chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.
Meanwhile, Douglas’ wife actress Catherine Zeta Jones has expressed unhappiness over the fact that the doctors failed to detect her husband’s throat cancer earlier. "He sought every option and nothing was found. I knew something was up. He knew something was up," she said in an interview with People magazine. Zeta Jones added that Douglas’ chance of survival would have been improved had doctor detected the disease earlier. "It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier."
