Celebrities who succumbed to throat cancer and those who battled it out

LAHORE: Reportedly battling an advanced stage of throat cancer, former premier Nawaz Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, is among the dozens of globally-renowned men and women who have had throat cancer, which refers to cancerous tumours that develop in the throat (pharynx), voice box or tonsils.

Although the lives of many renowned humans have been cut short because of throat cancer, Kulsoom Nawaz's family members should take heart from the fact that eminent American actor Michael Douglas (born 1944) continues to survive this lethal ailment despite being diagnosed with it in August 2010, and so does premier Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.

In 2010, Douglas underwent six months of cancer treatment after doctors found a malignant tumour in his throat, though the illness and aggressive treatment had caused him to lose 32 pounds (14.5 kg). (Reference: The January 11, 2011 report of the BBC News)

"I was stage four, and there is no stage five. After complaining for nine months and them (doctors) not finding anything, they finally told me one day that I was at stage four," Douglas said in an interview to the New York Magazine.

Though Douglas successfully completed treatment, he said there was always a possibility the cancer could recur. Douglas later shocked the public when he told reporters his throat cancer was caused by a sexually-transmitted virus.

His famous movies include Wall Street: Money never sleeps, Black Rain, The American President, The War of the Roses, Basic Instinct, The Game, The Solitary Man and Falling down.

Celebrated Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, while playing the 2001 World Cup, had suddenly fallen sick. As soon as the tournament was over, he was diagnosed with lung cancer at Stage 1. The player was awarded as man of the tournament while he was battling with cancer. He went to United States for his treatment and came back totally cured after a year.

Well, apart from the likes of Michael Douglas, who has survived throat cancer, there are numerous internationally-renowned figures who survived other forms of cancer.

These include 94-year old American President Jimmy Carter (fought liver cancer and continues to live), former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif (who had said in a Facebook post on July 23, 2015 that he had been suffering from backbone cancer for last several years and was thus required to visit London twice every year for treatment), the 1993 professional cycling world champion Lance Armstrong (survived testicular cancer in October 1996), Hindi Film actress Manisha Koirala (survived after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012) and known Indian film actress Mumtaz (she was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 54 years. Today, at the age of 71, she is still doing fine and having a cancer-free life).

(References: The Reuters, the CNN, the Daily Mail UK, ESPN, Forbes magazine, the Indian Express, the India Today and the Times of India). Here follows a list of some internationally-recognised Pakistani and global celebrities who finally succumbed to throat cancer:

Chronicles of history reveal that King Edward VIII, real uncle of current British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, had perished due to throat cancer in 1972, at age of 77. A smoker from an early age, Edward became king on his father's death in early 1936.

As a young man, he served in the British armed forces during World War I and undertook several overseas tours on behalf of his father.

Former American President, Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), had suffered from throat cancer too. According to various books on American History, he had also served as US Army's commanding general and held the highest positions in the military and the government of his country. Grant was a notorious, lifelong cigar-lover. He not only smoked them but chewed them – as many as a dozen a day by his own admission.

Historians report that once the public discovered his love of cigars, he received more than 20,000 as gifts. Grant was also a heavy drinker at times. By the time Grant sought medical help for the pain and swelling in his mouth, the cancer was untreatable. But the cocaine solution helped alleviate the pain in his throat.

Former Premier of Nepal Kunwar Inderjit Singh (1906-1982), also known as the 'Robin Hood of the Himalayas' after initiating an extensive land redistribution scheme in the early 1950s, had died of throat cancer at the age of 76.

Well-known Indian actor Raj Kumar (1926-1996) had died of throat cancer at the age of 69 in July 1996. Raj Kumar had appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film Mother India and had gone on to star in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over four decades.

In April 2015, Pakistani Senator Azam Khan Hoti had passed away at the age of 69 due to throat cancer, newspaper and television archives show. The veteran Awami National Party (ANP) politician was the father of former KP chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and brother of Begum Naseem Wali Khan (the wife of Abdul Wali Khan) and brother-in-law of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.

In November 2013, star Pakistani folk singer Reshma had died in Lahore after fighting throat cancer. In February 2016, the 85-year old veteran writer and playwright Fatima

Surayya Bajia had lost to throat cancer as well. Former British premier Andrew Bonar Law (1858-1923) too had died of throat cancer. He was the shortest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century (211 days in office) and is sometimes called "The Unknown Prime Minister”.

Fabulous American actor Anthony Quinn had died at 86 in 2001 because of throat cancer. He had starred in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including La Strada, The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek, Guns for San Sebastian, Lawrence of Arabia, The Message" and Lion of the Desert.

Former American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt's daughter, Anna Roosevelt, had died at the age of 69 in 1975 owing to throat cancer. Anna, who worked as a newspaper editor and in public relations departments of various universities, was appointed to presidential commissions by President John F Kennedy in 1963.

Edward Vincent Ed Sullivan – renowned American television personality, sports and entertainment reporter and long-time syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News – had died at 73 in 1974 after an unsuccessful bout with throat cancer.

His TV show The Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast for 23 years from 1948 to 1971. This television programme had set a record as the longest-running variety show in US broadcast history.

George Harrison – famous English musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of The Beatles – had died at 58 in 2001 due to lung cancer that was attributed to years of cigarette smoking.

Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the band's primary songwriters, most of their albums included at least one Harrison composition. His remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered according to the Hindu tradition in a private ceremony in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India.