Andy Taylor, the original guitarist of the legendary Birmingham new wave/synth-pop group Duran Duran, says that the innovative therapy used to treat stage four prostate cancer has extended his life "by five years".
The fourth stage of the tumor was discovered eight years earlier, but it is about the state of health spoke publicly only in 2022.
Then the scientist approached him and offered him a medicine lutetium-177 which works by spotting and attacking only malignant cells, Taylor explains.
- Andy Taylor, guitarist of the band Duran Duran, has stage four cancer
- Stories of struggle and cancer
- The star of the film Jurassic Park is suffering from cancer
He had his first therapy six years ago, he told the BBC show Breakfast.
"The drug does not see healthy cells.
"He eliminated the fourth stage of cancer even in the bone tissue, successfully extending my life by five years," says the 62-year-old musician.
Before the therapy, his health condition worsened and, he says, "he was practically written off".
The musician revealed the diagnosis in a letter read by his former colleagues from the band during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022.
The event in Los Angeles was supposed to serve as a reunion of the band, whose classic line-up had not played together since 2006.
The group was founded in Birmingham and gained popularity in the 1980s.
Some of her most famous songs areRio, Girls On Film, Hungry like the wolf i Ordinary World.
Taylor said he was "extremely disappointed" to miss the show, but that he was very unwell.
"A few days before that, I could neither stand nor play.
"I missed the most important night of my life," he told the BBC show.
Until that moment, no one knew that he was sick, except for his family and a few close friends.
Not all members of the group were aware of his health condition.
He sent them a letter, which, at the suggestion of the group's singer Simon Le Bon, was read on stage.
"He did it in a dignified way. He's a really good guy and I love him very much," Taylor added.
The new therapy was recommended to the musician by Chris Evans, professor and founder of the Fund for the Development of Cancer Awareness.
"When patients like Andy Taylor's disease reaches stage four, followed by other metastases, especially in bone tissue, treatment is limited.
"He was already on some of the best medication available but his condition was not improving," Evans told the BBC.
He added that doctors have studied his genetic makeup in detail and the specific genetic mutations that have developed.
"We observed other specific biochemical and physiological elements of his organism and concluded that injections of the nuclear drug lutetium-177 are the best option for him," the professor added.
'Beacon of Hope'
Evans also says that Andy Taylor responded very well after the first treatment.
"We are optimistic that he will do well in future rounds and this could result in quite a significant life extension for Andy to continue to be very creative and musically active."
The guitarist says that already after the first phase of treatment, he asked the doctors if he could return to work and leave the hospital.
"I didn't want to be stuck in a hospital room, I wanted to be a patient, a little beacon of hope because cancer drags you and your family into darkness," Taylor added.
He says that he felt very good, and he made a new album Man's A Wolf To Man, which comes out in September,
"It was a hell of a journey," he adds, describing the creation process.
See also this story
Follow us on Facebook,Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
