Van Halen's Cancer Battles
- Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, shares that his father battled tongue, throat, and stage 4 lung cancer, as well as a brain tumor, before his passing.
- Stage 4 lung cancer is also referred to as advanced lung cancer, which means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the brain, liver, or bones.
- While treating a brain tumor, radiosurgery has shown to be a promising alternative to radiation; patients may see fewer long term side-effects.
We all knew about Van Halen’s battle with both throat and tongue cancer, but in reality the rock star apparently battled numerous cancers before his passing. While appearing on The Howard Stern Show Wolfgang, 29, told us that his late father was diagnosed with a stage 4 lung cancer in 2017, and was initially told he only had six weeks to live. A fighter through it all, Van Halen traveled to Germany to receive treatment which allowed him to be around his family and friends for three more years. However, his fourth brush with cancer would happen only two years later.
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Tongue & Throat Cancer
Van Halen was first diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2000, where he had part of his tongue removed as a part of treatment. He was declared in remission in 2002. However, due to cancerous cells that had traveled from his tongue, Van Halen was later diagnosed with throat cancer around 2014.Van Halen had said in the past he suspects that his throat cancer was caused by putting copper and brass guitar picks in his mouth for years, and even though there’s no sufficient evidence to back up these claims, his son agrees with the theory. The two main causes of throat cancer include smoking and excessive drinking, and Van Halen himself had said he's been smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol since he was 12-years-old.
There are no annual screenings for throat cancer like other types of the disease. However, there are signs to look out for and consult your doctor if they happen often. Symptoms of throat cancer can include: a cough, changes in your voice, difficulty swallowing, ear pain, a lump or sore in the throat that will not heal, unexplained weight loss, and a persistent sore throat.
Dr. Ted Teknos explains how HPV is linked to throat cancer
Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Stage 4 lung cancer can also be referred to as advanced lung cancer, which means that that cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the brain, liver and/or bones. During treatment, the goal is to treat the entire body in order to destroy every last remnant of the cancer. A few options are considered when dealing with this late stage diagnosis. Chemotherapy is considered the standard of treatment with many cancer types, but years of research have introduced new options to the table. This includes immunotherapy, precision medicine, and targeted therapies.
Related: Immunotherapy Has Changed The Game For Lung Cancer
“Stage 4 lung cancer means that beyond the disease you can see in the chest and the bone and the liver and the brain, there is invariably invisible metastatic disease, and we don’t know which of these spots is going to make you sick,” Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard, a former thoracic oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “We don’t know if it’s the small brain tumor that might give you stroke or seizure symptoms. Or it’s a hidden liver spot that’s going to make your liver become injured and fatigued and nauseated with time. So stage 4 means, treat the whole body. Visible and invisible spots.”
Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard shares an overview of stage 4 lung cancer
Brain Tumor
Brain tumors can sometimes be diagnosed as brain cancer or a result of another cancer spreading to the brain. Even though it’s not clear how Van Halen’s tumor was caused, it may be likely that his lung cancer had metastasized to that area. In cases where cancer has spread to the brain, stereotactic radiosurgery is a more precise alternative to whole brain radiation with far fewer long-term side effects.
"In patients with three or fewer brain metastases, radiosurgery is preferred over whole brain radiotherapy because whole brain treatment results in a greater memory dysfunction," Dr. Christina Kehl Cramer, a radiation oncologist who specializes in brain tumors at Wake Forest Baptist Health, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "But, in patients with many brain metastases, it's less clear whether radiosurgery or whole brain radiotherapy is the better treatment."
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