David Bowie's Cancer Journey
- The daughter of late rockstar David Bowie shares a cherished childhood moment on social media of her beloved father singing and dancing with her.
- Bowie privately battled liver cancer before passing away in 2016.
- Liver cancer is a form of cancer that begins in the cells of your liver with the most common type being hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Cancer that spreads to the liver (metastatic) is more common than cancer that begins in the liver. Cancer that originates in the liver is called primary liver cancer.
- We don’t know what caused Bowie’s cancer. However, we do know that he struggled with alcohol.
- A study published last year in JAMA found that people who "increased their alcohol consumption had a higher risk for alcohol-related cancers and all cancers.”
Beloved singer David Bowie was bigger than life, known for his eclectic looks and music styles. Off-stage, though, the late rock star was a down-to-earth and loving family man. Bowie’s daughter shared one of her most cherished moments with her dad, from 15 years before his death from liver cancer, that fans are calling heartwarming.
"My forever sunshine," Lexi Jones, 22, wrote in a video caption on Instagram.
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Bowie's wife, supermodel Iman, reportedly recorded the cute video clip held onto by their daughter.
"This is so precious and you have no idea how heartwarming for us lifelong fans! I literally listen to him every day," one fan wrote on Instagram.
"This hits different as a parent. So precious," another Bowie fan commented.
Bowie's daughter had a great impact on him. He previously told Billboard, "I tend to write aggressively from a more optimistic standpoint, even if the subject matter is kind of dark."
"I really don't want to cast a dark shadow over her future, subtly or psychologically. It really behooves me to kind of be more positive about things than I might have been before she was born," Bowie added.
Bowie burst into the music industry with his first hit single "Space Oddity" in 1969 and went on to become one of the most influential artists of all time. He created iconic hits including "Blackstar," "Blue Jean," and "Dancing in the Street." He earned several Grammy nominations and wins throughout his incredible career.
David Bowie's Cancer Journey
While David Bowie reportedly kept many details of his cancer quiet, word spread he was battling liver cancer in 2014. Liver cancer is a form of cancer that begins in the cells of your liver, with the most common type being hepatocellular carcinoma, Mayo Clinic explains.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered one of the "most serious cancers in adults," according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
We do not know the type of liver cancer Bowie was diagnosed with.
Bowie's bandmates got their first real glimpse of his cancer diagnosis in 2014 when he appeared at a recording studio without hair or eyebrows due to chemotherapy treatments.
While at the studio, Bowie reportedly "swore everyone he worked with to secrecy," according to the U.K.-based news outlet Daily Express.
Documentarian Francis Whately produced a documentary that showed Bowie's final years, called, "David Bowie: The Last Five Years."
"I think everyone would like me to say he was turning up to the studio to record Blackstar and he was terribly ill, but I don't think he was. There are musicians in the Blackstar band who didn't even know. We all now know he was ill, we know he was undergoing treatment, but it doesn't seem to have affected at all on his output," Whately said reported by The Guardian.
In 2015, Bowie's cancer briefly went into remission before returning in a more advanced stage. The cancer had metastasized or spread to other parts of his body once it returned.
His bandmates said despite Bowie's cancer diagnosis at the time, "He made every effort to complete those two [album] projects on time, not to let his illness win.”
Bowie passed away two days after releasing his "Blackstar" studio album in 2016 at age 69. The album earned the late rock star a Grammy award posthumously in 2017.
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Understanding Liver Cancer
The liver is a vital internal organ within us that breaks down and stores nutrients absorbed from the intestine, the American Cancer Society explains.
Cancer that spreads to the liver (metastatic) is more common than cancer that begins in the liver. Cancer that originates in the liver is called primary liver cancer.
Cancer that spreads to the liver still carries the name of its point of origin. For example, breast cancer that spreads to the liver is still called metastatic breast cancer.
People with liver cancer may experience the following symptoms:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
Common risk factors for liver cancer, according Mayo Clinic, may include:
- Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, which are spread through blood or other bodily fluids
- Cirrhosis, an irreversible condition that causes scar tissue in your liver
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
WATCH: Does alcohol increase your risk for cancer?
The Connection Between Alcohol and Liver Cancer
It’s important to state that we do not know what caused David Bowie’s liver cancer.
However, we do know that Bowie struggled with alcohol and even suggested that he was addicted.
Bowie once said during a BBC interview in 2000, "Drinking even one glass would kill me. I'm an alcoholic, so it would be the kiss of death for me to start drinking again. My relationships with my friends and family have been so good for so many years now."
A study published last year in JAMA Network Openfound that people who "increased their alcohol consumption had a higher risk for alcohol-related cancers and all cancers compared with those who had sustained levels of drinking" and people "who reduced their alcohol consumption had a lower risk."
Researchers also found that people had "an increased risk" temporarily after quitting drinking, but there was no increase found "when quitting was sustained." The researchers concluded that "alcohol cessation (discontinuance) and reduction should be reinforced for the prevention of cancer."
Dr. Heather Yeo said that the key to alcohol is moderation.
"For women, anything over half a glass or a glass a day is probably not helping your overall health,” she explained.
For men, "They can probably go one to two glasses before they start seeing health effects."
The American Cancer Society adds that drinking and smoking together puts you at a much higher risk for these cancers than drinking or smoking alone.
Blood tests, ultrasounds, CT scans (X-ray images), MRIs (medical imaging), and angiograms are generally used to confirm a liver cancer diagnosis. A liver biopsy, where a small piece of tissue is removed and analyzed for cancerous cells, may also be performed.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are faced with a liver cancer diagnosis, here are some questions to consider asking your doctor to help get your conversation started:
- What kind of liver cancer do I have?
- Do you know what may have caused my cancer?
- What stage is my cancer in and what does that mean?
- What are my treatment options?
- What kind of side effects should I expect after treatment?
- Should I make any lifestyle adjustments?
- How will treatment impact my ability to work and carry out normal activities?
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