Dateline: 05/29/00
Guitar hero Eddie Van Halen, a mainstay in the rock band Van Halen, is reported to have received treatment for cancer. Further information on the status of guitarist Van Halen's condition is scant... here is the only official statement made (on the official Van Halen site) thus far:
HOUSTON: The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center confirms that Guitarist Eddie Van Halen visited the Houston center yesterday (May 25) as an outpatient. According to M.D. Anderson doctors, Eddie is planning to begin an outpatient clinical trial to prevent cancer.Although this information has no official backing thus far, it has been reported by the VHND.com site that Van Halen has cancer of the tongue. The usual treatment for tongue cancer is surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy, and in some cases, chemotherapy.
No further information is being released at this time.
The exact cause of oral cancers such as tongue cancer are unknown, although tobacco use is involved in many cases, as is alcohol abuse and poor oral hygiene. The guitarist has been involved in a highly publicized personal battle with alcohol for several decades, and has also been a very heavy smoker for a significant amount of time.
This recent report of cancer marks the second major health problem Van Halen may have suffered as a direct result of the guitarist's excessive alcohol consumption. Van Halen underwent surgery last year to replace his right hip, due to a degenerative condition that may have been caused by excessive alcohol use.
