Idle: I beat cancer after early diagnosis
ERIC IDLE has said he beat pancreatic cancer after an “incredibly early” diagnosis.
The 79-year-old Monty Python star made the disclosure after being eliminated from the US version of The Masked Singer, saying he had gone on the programme to see if he could still perform.
Idle told Time magazine that three years ago he was “incredibly lucky” to be diagnosed. “Lucky? One of the most lethal forms of cancer, how on earth was that lucky? Well, because it was found incredibly early,” the comedian said.
In 2019, Dr David Kipper, a friend of Idle who specialises in preventative medicine, helped diagnose Idle with cancer by taking him for a “variety of tests”. When a slight abnormality came back in Idle’s blood work, the doctor recommended a scan of the pancreas.
When he was told about the tumour, Idle said Dr Kipper told him: “Neither the technician nor anyone here has ever seen this at this stage. It’s unattached, no nodes, and we have a very good chance of whipping it out.”
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal types of the disease, with only 25 per cent surviving for one year or more after they are diagnosed.
Idle underwent surgery at Cedars-sinai hospital in Los Angeles and is now collaborating with Stand Up To Cancer to increase awareness for cancer research.