Rod Stewart's Prostate Cancer Battle
- Rockstar Rod Stewart, 78, took to social media this week to celebrate his son’s Alastair’s milestone birthday. Alastair Stewart is one of the famed musician’s eight children.
- It’s great to see the prostate cancer survivor enjoying special moments with his family. Stewart has four daughters, 59-year-old Sarah, 44-year-old Kimberly, 36-year-old Ruby, and 31-year-old Renee. As for his sons, he has 43-year-old Sean, 29-year-old Liam, 18-year-old Alastair Wallace, and 12-year-old Aiden Patrick.
- Stewart diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine screening in 2016.
- Prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer in men, can sometimes be misdiagnosed based on results from a PSA test. Still, our experts maintain that the PSA tests are helpful, and you should talk with your doctor about your own risks for the cancer and screening options.
The 78-year-old “Maggie May” singer, who battled both prostate cancer and thyroid cancer, enjoyed a nice evening with his wife and son at The Maine Mayfair, a New England Inspired Restaurant & Bar, in London. Stewart even joined his son to see the S.S. Lazio vs Celtic F.C. at a UEFA Champions game in Rome, Italy.
Read More
Alastair also took to his Instagram story to share some photos from his birthday festivities, even showing him, his dad, and some others in a private jet to Italy, to see Celtic F.C. play against S.S. Lazio.
Stewart’s third wife Penny Lancaster, 52, was also excited to commemorate her son turning another year older and shared more photos of her son and husband on her Instagram.
She captioned the sweet post, featured a handful of throwback photos, “My beautiful first born son that I had dreamt of for 34 years of my life, came to me as a gift that I have always treasured.
“Happy 18th birthday. So proud of the wonderful man you have become xxxx @alastairwstewart.”
Penny also shared some photos on her Instagram story, revealing Stewart, herself, and Alastair cuddling up on a couch during the day and huddling together at the dinner table at night.
View this post on Instagram
It’s great to see Stewart making time for his son, who is one of eight.
Stewart has four daughters, 59-year-old Sarah, 44-year-old Kimberly, 36-year-old Ruby, and 31-year-old Renee. As for his sons, he has 43-year-old Sean, 29-year-old Liam, 18-year-old Alastair Wallace, and 12-year-old Aiden Patrick.
Back in 2021, Stewart opened up to PEOPLE about how he has to be a different type of father to his children as they range in age.
He said at the time, “I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids. You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems.
“What makes me happiest now is seeing all my kids and my wife with big smiles on their faces.”
Rod Stewart’s Battle With Prostate Cancer
The rockstar was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016 at age 71 following a routine check-up with his doctor.
RELATED: Prostate Cancer: Overview
Stewart was given the “all clear” from his doctors in 2019 following successful treatment for the disease. Previously, Stewart’s wife, Penny, spoke about her husband’s cancer on a British TV talk show.
“It was quite aggressive and it came on really quickly,” Lancaster explained. “Instead of remaining in the [prostate] gland, it had left the gland and traveled to the outside tissues.”
According to Lancaster, Stewart couldn’t be treated with surgery alone. “Knowing it had traveled outside, we couldn’t have the gland removed, so he had to have a three-month intensive course of radiation, traveling into London the same time every single day, going to the clinic.”
Meanwhile, Stewart was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer over 20 years ago, a diagnosis which led him to briefly fear that the disease would rob him of his voice.
Appearing on the British talk show Loose Women, Stewart talked about the alarm he experienced one morning when he woke up and “couldn’t sing a note.”
The singer played down his thyroid cancer battle, however, saying, “I had a touch of thyroid cancer; it was over and out within 10 minutes.”
Stewart then explained to the hosts that he did not “want to pretend I fought cancer for months and months” because, in his case, “it was really easy to get rid of.”
Understanding Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The disease begins in the walnut-shaped prostate gland located between the rectum and bladder. This gland produces the fluid that nourishes sperm.
Symptoms of the disease are inconsistent and hard to pinpoint.
“Prostate cancer is a very odd disease in that it doesn’t have a particular symptom,” Dr. Edwin Posadas, director of translational oncology and the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, explained.
There’s No One Definitive Symptom for Prostate Cancer, But There Are Clues
But changes in urinary function like urinating more or less often or waking up at night to go more than usual could be a sign of the disease. It’s important to note, however, that these potential symptoms could also could be caused by a urinary tract infection or even an enlargement of the prostate gland (which is not cancer).
Prostate cancer screening methods look for possible signs of the disease, but they can’t determine for sure if you have cancer. The only way to know for sure if the patient has prostate cancer is with a prostate biopsy, a procedure in which small samples of the prostate are removed and examined under a microscope. But generally speaking, screening for prostate cancer involves a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland.
Doctors that have spoken with SurvivorNet shared a hopeful outlook when considering a prostate cancer diagnosis because there are many treatment options, and there’s been significant treatment progress over the past decade.
Surgical and radiation options, for example, have made improvements in reducing side effects of treatment while still providing excellent cure rates. Even for men with an advanced-stage diagnosis, many new options exist to treat prostate cancer and help them maintain an excellent quality of life.
Reaching Milestones as a Cancer Survivor
Reaching milestones during or after a cancer battle is huge. These events – like getting engaged or a family member turning another year older, may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
“I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones” One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story
Chrissy Degennaro, a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones, is a great example of this. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.
When she was diagnosed, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.
“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”
RELATED: I Got to Dance With My Daughter at Her Wedding: Steve Silverstein’s Cancer Story
Supporting a Family Member Through Cancer
People like Rod Stewart can feel a wide range of emotions when confronted with a cancer diagnosis. Many may feel depressed, anxious, worried, overwhelmed, and even full of grief. Support your loved one as best you can by being a loving, listening ear and lending support.
Dealing With Grief After a Cancer Diagnosis
Dr. Scott Irwin, director of supportive care service at Cedars-Sinai, explains in an earlier interview the grief that may accompany a cancer diagnosis. “Grief comes in waves,”he says. “It often gets better over time, but at certain days, it can look like depression. And other days, people look perfectly normal and can function.”
“They’re grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different,” says Dr. Irwin, of how a person may feel after getting a cancer diagnosis.
“In cancer care, sometimes, we’re actually forcing some body changes that are beyond what would be normal aging, and that can be even harder for people to deal with where they don’t feel like themselves.”
Family Love and Support Makes a World of Difference During Cancer Treatment
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
ANSWER QUESTIONS
