MICHAEL DOUGLAS TALKS CANCER

Thursday, September 02 2010 04:13

Michael Douglas is opening up about his battle with throat cancer, for which he's currently undergoing a grueling course of radiation and chemotherapy. The fight started about three weeks ago after he went to the doctor complaining of pain. He told David Letterman, "I got a biopsy and they analyzed it and it's a stage 4, which is intense, and so they gotta go at it."

He told People magazine of his treatment, "It's a fight. It really knocks you out." The actor, whose new movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps opens later this month, admitted that the treatment will continue to get more difficult and will definitely affect his ability to promote the film.

However, he told Letterman, his doctors have given him a good prognosis: " (Dave) Is a stage 4 where you want to be or not where you want to be? (Michael) No, you like to be down at stage one, but it has not, the big thing you're always worried about is it spreading, so I am head and neck. I am above the neck so nothing has gone down and the expectations are good."

He speculated about the cause of his disease, saying, "I smoked cigarettes and I drank (alcohol) and this particular type of cancer is caused by alcohol. . . (but) it's been a long year and I do think this is stress related." Douglas's 31-year-old son Cameron was jailed earlier this year on drug charges. His ex-wife is also pursuing legal action against him, claiming their divorce settlement entitles her to a portion of the Wall Street sequel's profits.