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New York Dolls singer David Johansen has stage 4 cancer, brain tumor as daughter asks fans for help

11 February 2025 at 08:38

The singer of the iconic punk group The New York Dolls has been secretly battling stage 4 cancer for the last several years.

David Johansen's wife of over a decade, Mara Hennessey, told Fox News Digital about his diagnosis.

"David has been living with stage 4 cancer for several years. He’s undergone chemo, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery, and weathered all the side effects and consequences of the various treatments, all with his indomitable spirit and incomparable sense of humor.

"He’s been nurtured by the love of his wife and daughter, while trying to spare his friends, colleagues, and fans and keep his troubles private. He’s always been like this," Hennessey said.

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"He claims it’s because he’s half Norwegian," she continued.

Hennessey explained that the financial burden has taken a toll on their family.

"Our family have reached the point where we need more support. We’ve run up some serious debt caring for our beloved David, and are facing still more unmanageable expenses. This trying to be low-key is not sustainable," she concluded.

Johansen's daughter, Leah Hennessey, took to Instagram to share the sad news on Monday.

"David is a legend but he's also my very real very sick dad," she wrote alongside a picture of him on her Instagram story. "I have so much to say but I guess I'll be posting about this a lot and I don't have to say it all now. I know how dire so many of our situations are right now, and how much fundraising literally everyone is doing but if you love David or any of the magick (sic) he's brought into the world please just take a minute to read this or share it. Thank you guys as always."

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Leah also included a link to the Sweet Relief Musician Fund. The organization helps raise money for musicians who are struggling with health problems.

His daughter explained on the website that five years ago, Johansen's cancer progressed and he had a brain tumor.

"There have been complications ever since. He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing," the website states.

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According to Leah, things took a turn for the worse during Thanksgiving.

"To make matters worse, the day after Thanksgiving, David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places,"Β she wrote on the website.Β 

Johansen has since had surgery, but Leah said, "David has been bedridden and incapacitated. Due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially and my mother is caring for him around the clock."

Aside from the New York Dolls, Johansen is known for his alter ego, Buster Poindexter. In 1987, his song "Hot Hot Hot" was a Billboard hit.Β 

Dave Coulier's cancer battle is getting 'more difficult,' but this morning ritual helps him pull through

25 January 2025 at 15:25

Three months after revealing his cancer diagnosis, Dave Coulier is continuing the fight of his life.Β 

During a recent interview with ABC-WXYZ in Detroit, Coulier's wife, Melissa, said that while the "Full House" alum's battle has gotten "more difficult," they both remain positive and even participate in silly morning rituals that help boost his confidence.Β 

"He has some really tough days, and as the chemo has been accumulating it gets a little tougher and more difficult," she told the local station on Thursday.Β 

'FULL HOUSE' STAR DAVE COULIER DIAGNOSED WITH 'VERY AGGRESSIVE' CANCER

"He has such a positive attitude, and you need that in order to really fight it," she continued. "Every morning, if he’s feeling up for it, we try to put on a song and do a little dance party with the dogs, because when you do feel good, you have to celebrate that, too."

"He has had a lot of loss in his life when it comes to having to deal with cancer. He lost his mother, his sister, his niece. His other sister had it," she added. "I think for him, he takes every stride and really pulls strength from seeing the women that were so close in his life to powering through it, and he just wants to honor them."

In November, Coulier, who starred as Joey Gladstone in the beloved TV series "Full House" in the 1980s and 90s, announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

β€˜FULL HOUSE’ STAR DAVE COULIER SAYS SOBRIETY HELPED HIM GRIEVE THE DEATHS OF BOB SAGET, DAD AND BROTHER

The actor and comedian said he was diagnosed in October after experiencing an upper respiratory infection caused by major swelling in his lymph nodes.Β 

"Three days later, my doctors called me back, and they said, β€˜We wish we had better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and it's called B cell, and it's very aggressive,'" he told People.

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"I went from, β€˜I got a little bit of a head cold’ to β€˜I have cancer,’ and it was pretty overwhelming," he added. "This has been a really fast roller-coaster ride of a journey."Β 

According to the American Cancer Society, B-cell lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in B-lymphocytes. B-cell lymphomas account for the vast majority of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Every year, more than 80,000 Americans are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"The first thing I said to them was, β€˜Wait a minute β€” cancer?’" Coulier later shared on the "Today" show. "(I was) feeling like I got punched in the stomach, because it never happens to you. You always hear about it happening to someone else."

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"My joke is that in four short weeks, I’ve gone from a Virgo to a Cancer," he continued. "I’ve tried to retain a sense of reality but also a sense of humor about it."

"I told Melissa I don’t know why, but I (am) OK with whatever the news (is) going to be, no matter how devastating. . . . I can’t explain where that came from," he added. "I’ve had an incredible life. I’ve had the most amazing people in my life. This has been an extraordinary journey, and I’m OK if this is the end of the journey."

Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this post.Β 

Cancer death rates decline yet new diagnoses spike for some groups, says report

16 January 2025 at 07:13

A major annual cancer report has revealed a mix of good news and points of concern.

Cancer diagnoses are expected to exceed two million in 2025, with approximately 618,120 deaths predicted, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual cancer trends report, which was published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

ACS researchers compiled data from central cancer registries and from the National Center for Health Statistics.

ALCOHOL LINKED TO CANCER RISK IN US SURGEON GENERAL'S NEW ADVISORY

While mortality rates have declined, certain groups are seeing a spike in diagnoses, the report noted.

"Continued reductions in cancer mortality because of drops in smoking, better treatment and earlier detection is certainly great news," said lead author Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the ACS in Georgia, in a press release.

"However, this progress is tempered by rising incidences in young and middle-aged women, who are often the family caregivers, and a shifting cancer burden from men to women, harkening back to the early 1900s, when cancer was more common in women."

Cancer death rates dropped 34% between 1991 and 2022, according to the ACS report.

That equates to approximately 4.5 million deaths avoided due to early detection, reductions in smoking, and improvements in treatment, the report stated.

Several factors likely contributed to this decline, noted John D. Carpten, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at City of Hope, a national cancer research and treatment organization in California.

"I think a big one is smoking cessation and the battle against lung cancer, which has always been the most common form of cancer and is tied to tobacco use," Carpten told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview.

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"But without a doubt, I think new and better methods for early detection, and screening for colorectal cancer and other forms of the disease, have also allowed us to see a decrease."Β 

Lifestyle improvements have also helped to decrease mortality, he said, along with the development of new and better therapies for cancer.

Despite overall declines in mortality, the report revealed that death rates are rising for cancers of the oral cavity, pancreas, uterine corpus and liver (for females).

Some common cancers have also seen an increase in diagnoses, including breast (female), prostate, pancreatic, uterine corpus, melanoma (female), liver (female) and oral cancers associated with the human papillomavirus, the report stated.

Diagnoses for many cancer types are increasing among certain groups.

Cancer rates for women 50 to 64 years of age have surpassed those for men, the report revealed. For women under 50, rates are 82% higher than males in that age group.

As far as what is influencing the "disconcerting trend" in women’s cancers, Carpten said it is likely "highly nuanced" and will require additional research.

"The decrease in fertility and increases in obesity that we’ve seen are risk factors for breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal middle-aged women," he said.Β 

"But there could be other modifiable risk factors at play, like alcohol and physical activity."

Another trend in the increase in early cancers is occurring in individuals under the age of 50, Carpten noted.

In particular, the report revealed that diagnoses of colorectal cancer in men and women under 65 and cervical cancer in women between 30 and 44 years of age has increased.

The report also discusses inequities in cancer rates among certain ethnic groups, with Native American and Black people experiencing higher diagnoses of some cancer types.

"Progress against cancer continues to be hampered by striking, wide static disparities for many racial and ethnic groups," said senior author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the ACS, in the release.

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The report shows mixed trends for children, with diagnoses declining in recent years for patients 14 years of age and younger, but rising for adolescents between 15 and 19.

"Mortality rates have dropped by 70% in children and by 63% in adolescents since 1970, largely because of improved treatment for leukemia," the ACS stated in the release.

The ACS report also warns about "lagging progress" against pancreatic cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.Β 

Rates of diagnoses and deaths from the disease type are on the rise.

"Pancreatic is an incredibly deadly form of cancer," Carpten said.Β 

One of the main issues with pancreatic cancer, he said, is that it sometimes can grow in an individual for up to 10 years before it's detected.

One of the best opportunities for beating pancreatic cancer is early detection, Carpten said.Β 

"By the time those cancers have advanced, they've spread to the liver or other organs, and they’re almost impossible to cure at that stage," he said.

"If we can identify those cancers when they're at a curable stage, we can improve outcomes."

Making progress in fighting cancer "takes a village," Carpten told Fox News Digital.

"It will require partnerships between the community, the health care system, cancer researchers, government, industry β€” we all have to work together if we want to continue to see a decrease and an ultimate increase in cures," he said.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), stated that the report highlights the need to "increase investment in both cancer treatment and care, including equitable screening programs."

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"Screening programs are a critical component of early detection, and expanding access to these services will save countless lives," he said in the release.

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"We also must address these shifts in cancer incidence, mainly among women. A concerted effort between health care providers, policymakers and communities needs to be prioritized to assess where and why mortality rates are rising."

Fox News Digital reached out to the ACS for further comment.

Liver cancer patient given 6 months to live loses 76 pounds eating specific foods

4 January 2025 at 09:00

A Durham, North Carolina, man has turned his life around after receiving grave medical news.Β 

Derek Barnett, 55, was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease 10 years ago, according to a report from SWNS.

At his heaviest, Barnett weighed 240 pounds and was a size 38.

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Barnett, a construction worker who is currently unemployed due to health issues, brushed off his diagnosis, telling SWNS that he "didn’t think anything of it."

"Everybody’s got a type of thing," he said.

But the man's condition worsened, progressing into cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma, also known as liver cancer.

In January 2024, Barnett was given a letter from his doctor that broke some bad news – he potentially had only six months to live if the cancer continued to grow.

"When they gave me that letter last year, it got real," he reflected.

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"That note said, 'If the cancer gets aggressive, you have six months to live.' I saved it, looked at it every day, and it beat me up."

Barnett’s doctors informed him that the best way to regain his health would be to lose weight – and he knew it was time to get motivated and act.

"I was like, β€˜OK, we can do this,’" he told SWNS. "I’m a fruit-aholic. I went on a major fruit diet basically."

Barnett began limiting his diet to "very tiny meals" throughout the day, involving lots of his favorite fruits.

"I can eat a whole watermelon in a day, but I also eat apples, oranges and grapes β€” whatever’s in season," he said.

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"I do protein shakes, too. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat meat much, because it’s too filling for me."

Barnett recently hit a record-low weight of 164 pounds. He reported that he dropped the pounds by following this diet, and that his "scores are looking fantastic."

"I haven’t weighed this since I was probably 15 years old," he said.

Barnett said he still has work to do in toning his muscles to "catch up to the skin loss," but he continues to push forward.

"My clothes are a little too big and baggy, and it’s hard to afford clothing when you lose weight so quickly, but I feel fantastic," he said.

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Barnett has also kept the weight off by staying active, despite his physical limitations.

"I have osteoarthritis in my right knee and need a knee replacement," he revealed. "I can’t go jogging or do stairs, but I do what I can."

He reported that his workouts usually involve sitting in chairs and "using little dumbbells."

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"I’m nonstop, but I do it without hurting myself," he added. "Losing weight is just [about] staying active, finding anything you can possibly do to get off a couch."

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Barnett told SWNS that he will find out the status of his prognosis in February, and that he hopes to inspire others with his successful weight-loss journey.

Β "If I can do this, anyone can," he said. "I’ve done everything the doctors told me to do. It’s about eating right, staying active and never giving up."

"I was 55 going on 90," he went on. "Now I’m 55, going back on 20 again."

Barnett hopes to return to work and live a "full, active life," according to SWNS.

"I want to ring that bell next time I see my doctors and tell them I’ve done it," he said. "This is just the beginning."

Alcohol linked to cancer risk in US surgeon general's new advisory

3 January 2025 at 08:09

The U.S. surgeon general has released a new advisory warning of alcohol-related cancer risk.

Dr. Vivek Murthy issued the guidance on Friday following research that has linked alcohol to at least seven types of cancer.

In particular, the advisory notes that alcohol can increase the risk of throat, liver, esophageal, mouth, larynx (voice box), colon and rectal cancers.

DRINKING ALCOHOL IS LINKED TO CANCER, EXPERTS SAY

Alcohol consumption has been named as the "third leading preventable cause of cancer" in the country, the advisory noted, with tobacco and obesity taking the top two spots.

"Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States β€” greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. β€” yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk," said Murthy in the advisory.Β 

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"This Advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm."

The advisory breaks down four different ways in which cancer can increase cancer risk.

In one mechanism, the alcohol breaks down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and increases cancer risk.

Alcohol also induces "oxidative stress," the advisory warns, which damages protein, DNA and cells, and also causes inflammation.

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In a third mechanism, alcohol changes hormone levels, namely estrogen, which can increase the risk of breast cancer. More than 16% of all breast cancer cases have been linked to alcohol, the advisory states.

Finally, cancer creates conditions in which alcohol is more easily absorbed into the body.

Individual risk for alcohol-related cancers will also depend on "a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social and economic factors," the same source stated.

In the new advisory, Murthy calls for a warning label to be placed on alcoholic beverages stating that they may increase cancer risk.

The advisory also calls for a "reassessment of the guideline limits" for alcohol consumption and encourages people to be cognizant of the risk when deciding how much to consume.

The surgeon general also calls for doctors, health professionals and community groups to emphasize the link between alcohol and cancer to help raise awareness of the risk.

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, applauded Murthy's advisory.

"Too many Americans are living with an outdated assumption that some amount of alcohol is not only harmless, but also good for you," he told Fox News Digital. "Increasing evidence shows that isn't true."

Though wine and other alcoholic beverages may relieve stress and dilate arteries in the short term, the doctor warned that alcohol is a "proven toxin" with direct links to liver, heart and brain disease.Β 

"Even though traditional advice has been up to one drink a day for women and two drinks per day for men, in fact, no amount of alcohol is healthy," Siegel said.

Multiple studies have shown that 25% of people increased their alcohol use during the pandemic, according to Siegel.

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"This was in part because of stress and also because of social isolation β€” and the numbers have persisted since the pandemic ended," he said.

"The timing of this advisory is right on the mark."

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