Catherine Zeta-Jones had ‘furious’ response after Michael Douglas’ cancer diagnosis from oral sex
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
Back in 2010, Michael Douglas was diagnosed with stage four squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer.
The actor had spent months with persistent throat and ear pain before a tumour was found. His wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones was ‘furious’ with doctors that it wasn’t detected earlier.
Mouth cancer can be more likely for those who smoke or chew tobacco or drink a lot of alcohol. But in 2013, in a bid to raise awareness, Douglas decided to open up about what was believed to be the cause of his diagnosis – oral sex.
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The Basic Instinct actor claimed he had contracted human papillomavirus (HPV), which the NHS explains can be linked to cases of mouth cancer.
"Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV (human papillomavirus), which actually comes about from cunnilingus," Douglas explained to The Guardian.
The now 81-year-old went through a ‘s**t-pot of chemo and radiation’ which ‘made him very weak’ but ultimately saved his life.
But Zeta-Jones, who he married in 2000, was angry that it had taken so long for him to be diagnosed.
Douglas had spent months seeking medical attention for his symptoms, only to be told nothing was wrong until the tumour was eventually found.
"It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier," she told People magazine at the time. "He sought every option and nothing was found."
The Chicago actor spoke of the pain of watching her husband struggling and going through chemotherapy and radiation.
"I know maybe I should be stronger, but emotionally I just don't want to see that," she added.
"The hardest part is seeing his fatigue, because Michael is never tired."
In 2015, Douglas said he regretted the embarrassment caused to Zeta-Jones by the revelation performing oral sex may have caused his cancer.
"It was one of those things … and I so regretted any embarrassment that it caused Catherine,” Douglas told Event magazine, “and her family.”
The stress of Douglas' cancer diagnosis, which came around the same time as Zeta-Jones revealed her diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, caused the couple so much strain that they temporarily separated in 2013, publicly reuniting eight months later.
Douglas said: "We had a little bump in the road. I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have. And hopefully the feeling’s mutual."
During an appearance at an International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) event in New York in 2010, the actor spoke about his journey to a diagnosis.
"It all started out pretty innocently with a soreness of my gum behind my last molar," Douglas said. "And being pretty diligent about my health, I went to see my general practitioner, who thought I had an infection and so was prescribing antibiotics, which, being a good patient, I took.
"And then I saw an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and then I saw a periodontist."
He explained he suspected it might be something more sinister after the 'supposed infection hadn't gone away after a number of months and multiple rounds of treatment'.
Douglas was later given the all clear from throat cancer.
Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer
According to Macmillan, the key warning signs are:
- a painless swelling or lump in the neck
- a sore throat or tongue
- earache
- difficulty swallowing, or moving your mouth and jaw
- changes in your voice
- bad breath
- unexplained weight loss
- unequal-looking tonsils
It is important that you see a doctor if you notice these symptoms persisting, or if they are starting to worry you.
HPV, on the other hand, often has no symptoms, although sometimes it can cause painless growths of lumps around the vagina, penis and anus, according to the NHS
Why are men more likely to be diagnosed with head and neck cancers than women?
Around two in three new head and neck cancer cases in the UK are in men.
Karis Betts, a cancer epidemiologist from Cancer Research UK, previously told LADbible this is because of higher rates of smoking and drinking in men.
But, while HPV is sometimes thought of as something that only affects women, men can also be infected and in some cases it can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, penis and anus.
Bett said: "There are studies that look at risk for different people. Straight women who have sex with men have a higher risk than women who have sex exclusively with women. And men who have sex with men have higher risk than straight men.
“The HPV vaccine is also available up to age 40 for men who have sex with men because the risk is slightly higher."
How to avoid HPV-related throat cancer
HPV spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex, touching, and sharing sex toys. While condoms can help, 'they’re not 100 percent effective'.
“The big kind of preventable measures against HPV in the population are vaccination and cervical screening,” Betts said.
“Vaccines kind of work best, and that's why they work best at that school age, because it's before people have had any exposure to the virus.
“If people are worried about their cancer risk, the best things that they can do, especially for head and neck cancer, is to not smoke, or stop smoking, and reduce their alcohol intake.
“Things like that will have a much bigger benefit on your cancer risk than kind of worrying about an HPV infection.”
She stressed that 'the advice isn’t going to be stop having sex', adding: "People should live and enjoy their lives, and sex is part of that."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Jess Battison