Duran Duran’s guitarist Andy Taylor shared that the new cancer medication he is taking will give him an extra five years. 

Taylor revealed that he was contacted by the Cancer Awareness Trust co-founder Prof. Sir Chris Evans about this new medicine. This occurred shortly after Taylor’s fellow band member Simon Le Bon revealed his diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer during Duran Duran’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. 

This meditation is life-changing for Taylor who revealed, “The great irony is I missed the biggest night of my life and within a week I was in touch with an amazing fellow called Sir Chris Evans, who is the most incredible scientist. He did my genomics, looked at it, and said, There’s a treatment that can save you,” he told BBC Breakfast. 

Before this event, Taylor believed that in terms of his well-being, he was on “the blacklist.” He explained how this new medication works to target his cancer. “Now this treatment, which is a nuclear medicine, Lutetium-177, is targeted so it only sees cancer cells. It can’t see healthy cells,” he explained. “I had my first round of it six weeks ago — I’m in next week for another round — and it kills stage four cancer in your bones, and what it’s effectively done is extend my life for five years.”

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Taylor also clarified why he was not able to join his band during its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “I’ve had stage four prostate cancer for around eight years, and it caught up with me quite badly around about last September,” Taylor stated. “When you do something like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — which is basically like getting knighted for a guitar player — you’ve kinda got to be on 11. You can’t saunter in, and a few days before I couldn’t really stand up and play. I had to deal with the denial, but it was sad.”

Duran Duran posted about Taylor’s cancer on their website after he wrote them a letter that was read on stage during the event. He had kept his diagnosis private until then and said that his bandmates reacted in a “dignified” manner. 

Taylor recalled asking Duran Duran if he could begin working again after his treatment, “After the first round of treatment I said, If I’m okay, and you guys say I’m okay, and do your blood tests, is it okay to start work again — light work — and get out?” Everyone agreed and he is now working on new music with the group and is set to release his album Man’s a Wolf to Man on September 8. 

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