Michael Douglas ‘enlightens’ public on cancer

Actor Michael Douglas has been credited with “spectacularly” raising awareness of head and neck cancer (HNC) after he attributed some throat cancers to oral sex during an interview with The Guardian.

An editorial in the July/August edition of the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ) entitled ‘The Jade Goody Legacy Has Undoubtedly Saved Lives, But What Will be the Michael Douglas Effect?’ claims celebrities have a “mesmeric power” to generate awareness.

“Indeed, [reality TV star] Jade Goody’s tragic death in 2009 was likely to be foremost in the minds of Irish parents’ decision to vaccinate their girls against cervical cancer,” the editorial says.