Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor Is Battling Stage Four Prostate Cancer ‘As Hard As He Can’ Ahead of 64th Birthday

Le Bon also noted that Taylor is “fighting as hard as he can … and we are with him in that fight,” the Daily Mail reported.

He also pointed out how he’s sure Taylor “would love to be here,” but his focus now is on his health.

The lead vocalist and lyricist of Duran Duran also admitted, referring to his band members, in a video clip from the press event shared on his Instagram page, “There’s something that we have between us that keeps us together.

“First of all, we love the music that we make together.”

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Le Bon continued, “Nobody else makes music like we do. We’ve all tried doing things on our own, and it just doesn’t seem to be as exciting as when the four of us get together and work.

“We make each other laugh. I think that’s very important in the long relationship. When we’re under stress, we laugh our way through it. It keeps everything light and fun. And the other thing is, we split all the proceeds equally, so there’s not one person that makes all the publishing … we all share equally in the finances.”

Fans took to Duran Duran’s post to comment on the band and their ongoing work, with one writing, “I love everything you do. Duran Duran will keep on going and bring out the best music because they are the best it’s what they do. Legends that keep on going.”

Another fan commented, “Thank you for that great chemistry because my life would be so different without you & your music. Love you all.”

“This is why I’ve been a Duranie since the early 80s. You can hear the comradeship between all of them and it shines through their music,” a third wrote.

As Taylor is working to battle late-stage cancer, Duran Duran is still set to perform in parts of Europe later this year.

“Duran Duran have announced a special run of shows this summer, hitting Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Ireland and more,” the band states in one of their recent Instagram posts.

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Andy Taylor’s Prostate Cancer Journey and ‘Miracle’ Treatment

Andy Taylor was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018. When prostate cancer enters stage 4, it has spread beyond the prostate. He had kept his cancer private until 2022, just before the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“We’d kept it just sort of within the family and a few sort of friends and stuff. Then, I realized I’d have to go public with it,” Taylor said when he came out with the news.

Taylor is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his beloved Duran Duran group, an award-winning band known for songs like “Save a Prayer” and “Ordinary World.”

In a November 2022 note, shared on the band’s official website, Taylor said, “Just over 4-years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.

“Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and of course we are no different; so I speak from the perspective of a family-man but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have and this exceptional accolade.”

He added, “I have the Rodgers and Edwards of doctors and medical treatment that until very recently allowed me to just rock on. Although my current condition is not immediately life threatening there is no cure.

“Recently I was doing okay after some very sophisticated life extending treatment, that was until a week or so ago when I suffered a setback, and despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest in that both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my boundaries.”

Taylor later revealed his cancer spread and became “stage 4,” prompting him to face “palliative, end-of-life-care.”

Some of Taylor’s side effects stemmed from the chemo he was undertaking. At one point, when he learned his cancer had metastasized to stage 4, he was facing “palliative, end-of-life care,” he said in 2023.

WATCH: Symptoms of prostate cancer

However, he ultimately found remarkable hope with an FDA-approved radiopharmaceutical drug called Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan). Pluvicto may be helpful for anyone with prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate and has not responded to hormone therapy.

“Unlike chemotherapy, the quality of life you get from this is staggering. Like, wow. It can add three to five years to your life – and I’m going for the five because they think I can make that. I am still terminal because there’s nothing curative for [stage 4 prostate cancer]. But I’ve beat the odds with this treatment,” Taylor said.

“There are a lot of things the public aren’t aware of in terms of treatments. And I certainly wasn’t. If I’d have had more knowledge, I’d have been on Lutetium years ago,” Taylor added.

Plutvicto is an intravenous radioligand therapy that targets cancer cells precisely in the body. The medication combines diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, which can identify the presence of a target (PSMA) on a patient’s cancer cells and then treat it directly with minimal impact on normal tissues.

“The approval of lutetium is a major step in the development of personalized treatment for advanced prostate cancer,” Dr. David Penson of Vanderbilt University Medical Center told SurvivorNet.

“This agent specifically targets PSMA-positive metastasis and represents the first theranostic agent for use in castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer,” Dr. Penson continued.

Like most treatments, Plutvicto has side effects. The most common adverse reactions may include:

• Fatigue
• Dry mouth
• Nausea
• Anemia
• Decreased appetite
• Constipation
• Screening for Prostate Cancer

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Understanding Prostate Cancer

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it’s important to remember that most types of prostate cancers are treatable. According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate of prostate cancer in the U.S. is 97.1%. There is, however, a small number of men whose type of prostate cancer may become unresponsive to treatment, for example, when cancer cells develop a resistance hormone therapy, the treatment may no longer work.

Prostate cancer begins in the prostate the walnut-shaped gland located between the rectum and bladder that produces the fluid that nourishes sperm. Outside of skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men with about one in eight men being diagnosed with this disease during his lifetime.

It’s important to remember a prostate cancer diagnosis is not always preceded by symptoms. And even when symptoms do occur, they can be inconsistent and hard to pinpoint.

“Prostate cancer is a very odd disease in that it doesn’t have a particular symptom,” Dr. Edwin Posadas, director of translational oncology and the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet.

After the Diagnosis: “What Did I Do Wrong?”

Still, it’s important to note changes in urinary function, like urinating more or less often or waking up at night to go more than usual, could be a sign of prostate cancer. So, even if you think there’s nothing to worry about, always talk to your doctor about changes to your health when they occur.

There are many different treatment options for both early and later-stage prostate cancer including active surveillance, watchful waiting, surgery, radiation, cryotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The disease is one where doctors may have differing opinions on the best treatment path to take, so don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions and seek out multiple opinions.

Second (& Third) Opinions Matter When Deciding Between Surgery or Radiation

“I think it behooves the patient to have multiple discussions or second opinions, not only by the urologist who did the biopsy and diagnosed that man, but also with other surgeons and other radiation oncologist just to get a very circumspect view of what the treatment options are,” Dr. Jim Hu, a urologic oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet. “Oftentimes, I think patients need to understand that our health system is based a lot on fee-for-service medicine.

“And so therefore, a lot of physicians, I think, who are very well intentioned, will believe that their treatment is best for that particular man,” Dr. Hu added.

Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines

It’s unclear if the benefits of prostate cancer screening outweigh the risks for most men. Nevertheless, screening can be life-saving, and it’s important to discuss the pros and cons of screening and your risk factors for the disease with your doctor.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends “men have a chance to make an informed decision with their health care provider about whether to be screened for prostate cancer” after “getting information about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of prostate cancer screening.”

The ACS says the discussion about prostate cancer screening should take place at:

• Age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
• Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).
• Age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age).

When Should I Get Tested for Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer screening methods look for possible signs of the disease, but they can’t determine for sure if you have cancer. A prostate biopsy is the only way to confirm if the patient has prostate cancer.

Screening generally involves a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland. The prostate-specific antigen is a protein secreted by the prostate gland, large amounts of which can indicate prostate cancer.

It’s slightly uncomfortable but painless, and takes less than 30 seconds,” Dr. Posadas said of these methods. “The amount of information that is gained from that is tremendous, and it can be a life-and-death type decision that is made.”

Though the PSA test is not always accurate and an elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer, our experts maintain that these tests are helpful. Make sure to discuss your options with your doctors and decide what screening should look like for you.

What Are Your Treatment Options?

After your care team has all of the information (PSA, prostate exam, and the results of any imaging scans), your doctor will use it to categorize your cancer into one of several groups, called risk groups.

These include:

• Low risk
• Intermediate risk
• High risk

There are several subgroups within these categories that your doctor may mention. Which risk group your cancer falls into will determine what treatment options may be best for you. Men with low-risk and very low-risk disease may be candidates for active surveillance, an approach that closely monitors the cancer for changes and helps men avoid potential complications from more aggressive treatment.

On the other hand, men with high-risk disease may be treated with radiation therapy and androgen deprivation therapy (hormonal therapy).

In addition to your risk group, your doctor will also consider other factors, including:

• Your age
• Your overall health
• Your life expectancy
• Your goals for treatment

A combination of all of this information will allow your treating team to discuss all of the options that are available for treating your specific cancer.

Common treatment options for men with prostate cancer include:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Active surveillance
• Combination radiation therapy with hormonal therapy
• Surgery followed by radiation therapy

The reality is that most treatments are effective at curing the cancer. However, they each have different side effects that your doctors should discuss with you.

The Challenge of Deciding When to Treat Prostate Cancer

We encourage and recommend that if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you get an opinion from a urologist (surgeon) and a radiation oncologist to hear all of your options before choosing a treatment. We also recommend you get a second opinion from another institution.

Given the many treatment choices, doctors at some centers may do things quite differently than others.

We believe it is important to understand all of your options and hearing from other doctors at different institutions is helpful. The good news is that we have a lot of great options to treat men with this cancer. It can sometimes be overwhelming to pick what is best for you.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:

• If I have elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
• How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
• What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
• What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
• How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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