Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor gives cancer update: 'I'm trying to stay alive' https://ift.tt/jYt7Wpb

Duran Duran's Andy Taylor is not giving up in his fight against cancer.

Nearly five years after initially receiving his diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, the musician is providing an update on his health as well as revealing new details on how he originally learned the news of his disease.

The first symptoms were pain while exercising and some lumps in his lymph nodes, Taylor explained in a new interview with People. "The first thing I thought of was, when was the last time I had a PSA test?'"

The PSA, or prostate-specific antigen test screens for prostate cancer. 

DURAN DURAN GUITARIST ANDY TAYLOR REVEALS STAGE 4 PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS

"My father passed away because of prostate. So there was the family history. So I thought this could be, and sure enough," Taylor told the outlet.

"As harsh as it is, it's a death sentence. So you sort of walk out of the hospital in a stunned silence because you could never be prepared for ... You've got to start from the fact that it's a slow burn, so it's not going to take you quickly."

Despite getting the diagnosis in 2018, he kept the news a secret from his bandmates and the general public until last year when Duran Duran was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"In a way, it ended up becoming a massive relief because talking about it publicly, when you've been living with something for so long, every conversation you have with people, you're acting," he said.

"If I could get a genie out of a bottle and make one wish, it's that nobody ever has to go through what I went through."

Taylor has been well enough to continue working on new music, and this spring he's set to release a solo album.

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He said he's "trying to stay alive and live a life, which I am absolutely not giving up on. … Music's never had a greater value to me. One of the things that I learned early was, if you keep your mind active and you're there and physically active, it really does [make a difference]. You're carrying this grim reaper of a weight."

During Duran Duran's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, the band read a letter from Taylor, who was too ill to make it to the ceremony.

"Just over four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer," he wrote in that letter. "Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and, of course, we are no different. … I'm overjoyed at accepting this award. I often doubted the day would come. I'm sure as hell glad I'm around to see the day."