MICHAEL DOUGLAS is drinking again – and experts fear it could trigger his former booze addiction and derail his battle against Stage 4 throat cancer!
The “Wall Street” star, 66, was recently spotted ordering wine at a swanky seafood restaurant by our sources.
“This is not good, not good at all. Alcohol is the last thing Michael needs at this point,” a concerned pal told The ENQUIRER.
“He may be drinking to relieve pain and stress, but in the end it will only do him more harm than good.”
And experts agree.
“If Michael Douglas is drinking again, his risk of a secondary malignancy is increased,” noted radiation oncologist Dr. Jerome Spunberg, who has been following the actor’s progress, told The ENQUIRER.
Even a single glass of wine is a big no-no for cancer patients, said another expert.
“If he was a patient of mine I would not permit even an occasional glass of wine,” Dr. Marshall Strome, director for the Center for Head and Neck Oncology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York, told The ENQUIRER.
“In my experience, one glass becomes two and can increase the risk of cancer recurring.”
Douglas’ drinking is most troubling because he himself has confessed that cigarettes and alcohol contributed to his illness.
During an interview last August, the Oscar winner told late-night TV host David Letterman: “I smoked cigarettes and I drank and “this particular type of cancer is caused by alcohol drinking.”
But while recovering from chemo and radiation therapy, Douglas – who went into rehab in 1992 for alcohol, cocaine and sex addiction – claimed he was looking forward to drinking wine again!
“A lot of my energy has gone and I have increased soreness in my mouth. But overall I feel good,” he told a reporter.
“And I’m looking forward to enjoying a good glass of wine when I get my taste buds back again.”
True to his word, Douglas celebrated the news that he was cancer-free with a glass of wine. While Douglas claimed he’s been given an 80 percent chance of survival, doctors say that prognosis is optimistic.
“If his cancer was due to smoking and alcohol, the five-year survival rate can be as low as 50 percent, with the majority of recurrences within one to two years,” Dr. Strome pointed out.
And one buddy warned: “Michael needs to stop drinking immediately – for himself and for the sake of his family. Otherwise, his health will deteriorate and his cancer will return!”
