A Joyous Milestone
- Founding member of Oasis, Paul “Bonehead” Andrews, 57, recently announced on social media that he beat tonsil cancer.
- Oasis co-founder and singer Liam Gallagher, who now has a solo career, expressed his happiness for his former bandmate’s amazing news.
- It's unknown what caused Bonehead's tonsil cancer, but medical experts say that the human papillomavirus, or HPV, causes more than 90% of throat cancers, of which tonsil cancer is classified under.
The legendary brit-pop band’s singer, Liam Gallagher, 50, also took to socials to congratulate his former bandmate and longtime bud.
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The rhythm guitarist and keyboardist went on to thank his medical team at The Christie in Manchester, England, where he received care, and ended with a “see you all soon” to his overjoyed fans.
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Oasis formed in 1991, and by 1999, Bonehead wanted out to spend more time with his family. Gallagher formed his solo career in 2017 after having a falling out with his brother, Noel Gallagher, 55, back in 2009.
Though Gallagher and Andrews officially parted ways, they have joined one another for special shows ever since, which is always a special treat for their diehard fans. Unfortunately, Andrews had to cancel a tour the guys had set up this past summer due to his health condition.
“Just to let you all know I'm going to be taking a break from playing for a while," the husband and father wrote in April. "I've been diagnosed with tonsil cancer, but the good news is it's treatable and I'll be starting a course of treatment soon."
"I'll keep you posted (on) how it's going," he wrote after his diagnosis last year. "I'm gutted I'm missing the gigs with Liam and the band. Have the best summer and enjoy the gigs if you're going, I'll see you soon xxx (sic)"
Liam Gallagher shared his happiness for Bonehead’s big news on his Twitter. “YES BONEHEAD WE KNEW YOUD KICK ITS ARSE SOOOOO FUCKING HAPPY,” the eccentric frontman expressed to his 3.6 million followers.
YES BONEHEAD WE KNEW YOUD KICK ITS ARSE SOOOOO FUCKING HAPPY GUINNESS LG x
Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) September 29, 2022
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Understanding Throat Cancer
Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer; cancerous cells begin in the throat, voice box or tonsils, causing throat cancer. In Bonehead's case, cancer was found in his tonsils.
It's much more common to know someone who has throat cancer now-a-days than it was several decades ago. That's because of the strong connection between throat cancer and the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It's unknown what caused Bonehead's throat cancer, but medical experts say that HPV causes more than 90% of throat cancers.
HPV and Cancer Risk The Basics
"From the 1980s to the 2010s, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300 percent," Dr. Ted Teknos, a head and neck cancer specialist, and president and scientific director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio, told SurvivorNet during a previous interview.
The vast majority of humans in the United States both men and women will eventually get infected with HPV, according to Dr. Allen Ho, a head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai.
Related: Majority of Throat Cancer Diagnoses Are Caused by HPV Here's What You Need to Know
"The important thing to know about HPV is that there are many different strains, and only a couple of them tend to be more cancer-inducing," he said. "Probably less than 1 percent of the population who get infected happen to have the cancer-causing virus that somehow their immune system fails to clear, and over 15 to 20 years it develops from a viral infection into a tumor, and a cancer."
Get the Facts HPV Can Cause Cancer in Men Too
It's unclear whether HPV alone is enough to trigger the changes in your cells that lead to throat cancer, or whether this happens in combination with other risk factors like smoking. Of course, some people who develop throat cancer have no known risk factors for the condition. Genetics can play a role in this cancer, too. It's unclear if Bonehead has a history of smoking, or whether he has a history of cancer in his family.
Contributing by SurvivorNet staff.
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