Duran Duran Celebrates 40-Year Milestone While Guitarist Andy Taylor, 64, Continues Stage 4 Cancer Battle

 

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The update came during a press conference at the iconic Sanremo Music Festival in Italy, when the band’s frontman Simon Le Bon revealed Taylor was dealing with “very late, fourth stage metastasized cancer.”

He also pointed out how he’s sure Taylor “would love to be here,” but his focus now is on his health.

Andy Taylor’s Prostate Cancer Battle

Taylor was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, but he did not reveal it publicly until the group was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

“We’d kept it just sort of within the family and a few sort of friends and stuff. Then, I realized I’d have to go public with it,” Taylor said of his diagnosis at the time.

Due to his condition, Taylor wasn’t present as the other members of Duran Duran accepted their induction into the Hall of Fame in November 2022, but the group read part of a letter Taylor had shared disclosing his diagnosis.

“Just over 4-years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer,” the letter, which is also available on the band’s website, says. “Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and of course we are no different; so I speak from the perspective of a family-man but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have and this exceptional accolade.”

He added, “I have the Rodgers and Edwards of doctors and medical treatment that until very recently allowed me to just rock on. Although my current condition is not immediately life threatening there is no cure.

“Recently I was doing okay after some very sophisticated life extending treatment, that was until a week or so ago when I suffered a setback, and despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest in that both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my boundaries.”

A Groundbreaking New Treatment

Taylor ultimately found remarkable hope with an FDA-approved radiopharmaceutical drug called Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan). Pluvicto may be helpful for anyone with prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate and has not responded to hormone therapy.

“Unlike chemotherapy, the quality of life you get from this is staggering. Like, wow. It can add three to five years to your life — and I’m going for the five because they think I can make that. I am still terminal because there’s nothing curative for [stage 4 prostate cancer]. But I’ve beat the odds with this treatment,” Taylor said.

Plutvicto is an intravenous radioligand therapy that targets cancer cells precisely in the body. The medication combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, which can identify the presence of a target (PSMA) on a patient’s cancer cells and then treat it directly with minimal impact on normal tissues.

“The approval of lutetium is a major step in the development of personalized treatment for advanced prostate cancer,” Dr. David Penson, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told SurvivorNet.

Like most treatments, Plutvicto can cause side effects. The most common adverse reactions may include:

• Fatigue
• Dry mouth
• Nausea
• Anemia
• Decreased appetite
• Constipation

Prostate Cancer Awareness

The American Cancer Society recommends that men who have an average risk of developing prostate cancer speak to their doctors at age 50 about beginning regular screening.

When Should I Get Tested for Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer screening methods look for possible signs of the disease, but they can’t determine for sure if you have cancer. A prostate biopsy is the only way to confirm if the patient has prostate cancer.

Screening generally involves a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland. The prostate-specific antigen is a protein secreted by the prostate gland, large amounts of which can indicate prostate cancer.

It’s slightly uncomfortable but painless, and takes less than 30 seconds,” Dr. Edwin Posadas, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said of these methods. “The amount of information that is gained from that is tremendous, and it can be a life-and-death type decision that is made.”

Though the PSA test is not always accurate and an elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer, our experts maintain that these tests are helpful. Make sure to discuss your options with your doctors and decide what screening should look like for you.

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