Bad news for heavy metal. The group Iron Maiden revealed the cancer of the tongue of its singer, Bruce Dickinson. However, his prognosis would be extremely good.
This news should sadden fans of the heavy-metal band Iron Maiden, or those nostalgic for the 1980s. The band announced on Thursday, on his site, the cancer of the tongue of its singer Bruce Dickinson. Fear of the Dark or Run to the Hills should therefore not immediately resonate in concert halls.
A very good prognosis
It was at Christmas, during a routine visit to his GP, that Bruce Dickinson discovered his cancer. Tests and biopsies reveal the presence of a small cancerous tumor located at the base of the tongue. This is the location of one in three cancer of this type.
“The seven-week chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment was finished yesterday,” the group wrote, before reassuring fans. “As the tumor was detected at an early stage, the prognosis is extremely good. However, it will take a few months for the singer to fully recover. Bruce Dickinson is not expected to perform until the end of May.
Like Bruce Dickinson, in France, 2,000 people find out about their tongue cancer every year. These patients correspond to the same profile as the singer of Iron Maiden, who will celebrate his 57th birthday in August. The vast majority of these are men (90%), and the peak incidence occurs around the age of 55.
Alcohol, tobacco, papillomavirus …
Most of the time, cancer develops on the movable part of the tongue (66%), but tumors at its base are also common. Among the risk factors are alcohol, tobacco, cannabis. Human papillomavirus infection is also suspected to cause this cancer.
Discovered early, as in the case of Bruce Dickinson, cancer of the tongue is treated fairly well, with surgery – most often removal of the tumor -, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Michel Delpech, who revealed more advanced cancer in 2013, had undergone heavier therapy. His after-effects also prevented him from resuming the song immediately and speech therapy sessions were necessary to correct the speech disorders related to the treatment. Hopefully Bruce Dickinson can resume sooner.
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