Singer Andy Williams, 83, stunned his fans on Saturday by announcing that he has bladder cancer. The beloved star told an audience at his Moon River Theater in Branson, Mo., about his grim diagnosis, but he sounded hopeful about his condition and vowed to return to performing in 2012.
Cancer experts tell Newsmax Health that Williams likely faces a serious surgical procedure in which his tumor — and perhaps his bladder — will be removed. Afterward, however, his odds of survival are good.
The legendary crooner, probably best known for his rendition of “Moon River,” also hosted “The Andy Williams Show” on television from 1962 to 1971 and performed in annual Christmas specials. His “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” has been a Christmas staple since 1963.
“In most cases of bladder cancer, the tumor is worrisome enough that a section of the bladder is excised or the whole bladder removed,” says Morton Levitt, M.D., a pathologist and medical professor at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Medicine in Boca Raton.
Bladder-removal surgery, or cystectomy, can be traumatic, with some patients having to wear a bag that collects urine.
However, the typical prognosis for patients with bladder cancer is quite good, Dr. Levitt told Newsmax Health. Three-quarters of patients are diagnosed when the cancer is in its early stages. And for them, there is at least a five-year, disease-free survival rate of about 75 percent.
After surgery, combinations of therapies — chemotherapy and/or radiation — are typically begun to kill any cancer cells that may remain and to lower the risk the cancer will return.
Newer treatments are being tested in clinical trials, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health. These include chemoprevention, the use of vitamins or other substances to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence, and photodynamic therapies, which use laser-activated drugs to target cancer cells in the body.
