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Chris Polk / FilmMagic
A look back at the career of the Beastie Boys rapper, rocker, director and activist.
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who died Friday at 47, had been had been battling a type of salivary gland cancer for nearly three years. At the time of his diagnosis in 2009, the gruff-voiced rapper called his cancer “very treatable,” but recent reports said his cancer had returned.
A statement on the band’s website said, "It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys ... passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer," the statement said.
Yauch, known by his stage name MCA, had been unable to attend the Beastie Boys’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland last month. He said last year that he was “continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer-free in the near future."
The cancer initially had been found in Yauch’s right parotid gland, the largest type salivary gland, and in a nearby lymph node. Cancer of the parotid gland is rare, representing 3 percent to 7 percent of all head and neck cancers, says Dr. Steven Frank, a radiation oncologist at M.D. Anderson in Houston who treats the disease, but had never seen Yauch as a patient.
In a video Yauch made with bandmate Adam (Ad-Rock) Horovitz announcing his diagnosis, he said, “I started feeling this little … lump in my throat, like if you have swollen glands or something like that, like you’d feel if you have a cold.” At the time the cancer had not spread, he said. In the video Yauch was explaining to fans why the group was delaying release of their album "Hot Sauce Committee" and a tour.
“It’s something that’s very treatable and in most cases, they’re able to completely get rid of it and people don’t have continuing problems,” Yauch said in the video. “They’ve caught it early and it’s not anywhere else in my body.”
Parotid cancer, which strikes men and women equally, often is diagnosed because patients or other people had noticed a lump or swelling on one side of their face, Frank says. About 40 percent of parotid tumors are malignant, while the rest are benign, he says.
Unlike many head and neck tumors, smoking has not been linked to parotid cancer, Frank says. “There’s some data to support alcohol use or exposure to hair dye” as risk factors, he says, and there’s a “strong association” between parotid cancer and prior radiation exposure to that part of the head.
Yauch was a longtime vegan, but there’s no evidence that diet either protects against or increases the risk of parotid cancer, Frank says.
About 50 percent to 70 percent of people with parotid cancer survive 10 years after diagnosis, Fran says. The earlier it is caught, the better the chances of a cure.
Finding parotid cancer in a lymph node at the time of diagnosis cuts five-year survival chances in half, Frank says, although even cancer diagnosed at that advanced stage can still be cured. “It’s hard to know what his prognosis was specifically,” because there are 10 or 11 different types of parotid tumors, Frank says.
As with Yauch, parotid cancer typically is treated first with surgery. Radiation is then often used to destroy cancer cells that might be near a facial nerve running close to the gland, Frank says. “A lot of time surgeons don’t want to go in there and sacrifice that facial nerve, especially with somebody who might want to be out in the public pretty often.”
In 30 percent of relapses, the cancer spreads to the lungs, Frank says. The next most common site of metastatic parotid cancer is the bones, he says.
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I am surprised that some reporter hasn't stated that living in NYC causes cancer.
It doesn't?
I still have no idea why anyone would choose to live in that dump! Even the expensive "nice" properties are ugly on the outside. It is quite possibly the ugliest big city in America, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas...all are much nicer than Manhattan or the boroughs.
This is AGENT ORANGE cancer ( Vietnam). Salivary gland cancer.
I am so sorry to hear about this...my husband was diagnosed with scamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil with metastisis to 3 lymph nodes about 3 and half years ago...he had concurrent radiation and chemo therapies...very tough treatments...besides that he had an 11 hour surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding tissues...he was in Force Recon in Viet Nam...heavy exposure to Agent Orange...we filed all the paperwork at the VA to see if he was eligible for compensation...they denied him...this young man was a lot younger than my husband...my sympathies to his family
There is a support group in many communities for people with Head, Neck and Throat Cancers...it's called..SPOHNC (support for people with oral, head and neck cancer, inc)...very good group...lots of information.
Really William??? Houston a nice city?!?!? Maybe you need to visit NYC again,
sorry to hear it...
Adam was an amazing artist as well a pioneer in the music and film industry. He will be missed.
My prayers go out to his family and friends.
Long Live Beastie Boys!!!!!!
RIP MCA. As much as I love the B-Boys, I hope they do not try to replace him and continue touring and making albums (at least not as The Beastie Boys). It won't be the same without him.
I hope they do go on! Live on and keep the memories alive!
I hope they go on! Play on and carry his memory to those who loved him!
RIP
sorry for the bad twist of fate...an often treatable cancer caught before it spread...but he didn't get lucky. Must have been a horribly sad adjustment....he expected to recover.
i feel saddened for the loss of adam. he brought light to the occupation of tibet. he must have known for a year that he was not going to beat his cancer.....that alone is hard.
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i want to hear from ad-rock and mike d.....i hope they will release something in the next few days.
high plains drifer...
...my man mca got a beard like a billy goat...
Cancer treatment is MEDIEVAL. With the war on cancer going on for decades the treatments of it are barbaric. They can do one of three things or all three: slash, burn or poison. Does NOT get to the root genetic and sometimes environmental or both causes. The three treatments are hellacious. The best I will try to do is eat healthfully, NEVER smoke naturally, wear sunscreen, no drugs and barely any alcohol. It's not much fun but then again cancer is HORRENDOUSLY worse.
Big pharma has a vested interest in NOT finding a cure...why you ask? Cancer treatment is monumentally expensive and lucrative for the drug companies. They are greedy...oh no you say in America???? can't be...the hell it can't!
Natalie: I truly hope that you remain cancer free for the rest of your life...but unless you have faced a diagnosis of cancer, you have no idea what you would do as far as chosing aggressive treatments..even doing everything you suggested does not guarantee anything..."big pharma has a vested interest in NOT finding a cure"....this statement itself proves that you are clueless. Best wishes to you for a healthy life.
while uncommon, the majority of tumors of the parotid are benign (not cancerous); only 10-15% are cancerous. unfortunately they can still be killers. what a tragic loss...
I am a 57 yr old female coming up on my one year anniversary of a parotidectomy. My tumor was benign. I have never been to Vietnam have not been near Agent Orange, and it is unfair to start deciding just where this man's cancer came from. Truth in fact is that NO ONE knows what causes tumors either benign or malignant of the salivary glands, especially the largest one, the parotid. Anyone who has experienced this and would like more information please go to www.patientsforum.com It is a group of individuals who have had or are currently going through the parotid gland surgery. You can also find us on FaceBook. Our sympathies to Adam's family from our group.
I am a 40 yr old female and just passed my 1 year anniv. for my parotoidectomy. I am lucky - my was diagnosed as "low grade malignancy". I had a biopsy done on it in 2008 by a general surgeon who indicated the lump was similar to mumps and benign and that the lump would "ebb and flow" over time and attributed it to my having a cat. the lump never did just "ebb and flow" it got bigger. My "new" general practitioner looked at it and said - you need to see an ENT. The ENT was the one who said - we need to take this out. its not just about it being possibly cancer but the fact that these tumors can get bigger and damage the nerves in your face.
I have never been to Vietnam, nor exposed to agent orange. in fact I noticed my lump after giving birth to my first child. there is no known cause of these tumors but everone should have them checked and you need to see an ENT about them - do not rely on your GP. Sassy - I will look for your group on FB.
there's a pretty good documentary on cancer treatment called Burzynski. it's about this doctor that came up with a treatment for cancer that has something like 10 times the positive results as chemo/rad treatment with NO side effects. the FDA is a puppet of big pharma and has done everything in their power to shut Burzynski down
blacksheep, why do I believe that? Not shocking. That's what's shocking!!
Unless you have real facts (something like 10 times is not ) you really don't know have a clue what you are talking about. If there was any truth in what you said there would be no way to contain it. You just make things worse to condemn those trying to find a cure. Do a liitle research and find what it costs to get a drug to market with FDA approval and then see if you still think the FDA is a puppet. Truely sorry for the pain and suffering he endured and wish comfort to his family..
There are some pretty good documentaries about the aliens that landed in Roswell, too. And while you're watching, try taking some laetrile and see how that works for you.
RIP Adam
www.patientsforum.com for info on our group and tumors/cancers of the parotid.
RIP
You'll be missed MCA! I was just wondering yesterday when the next Beasties tour would be :( I hope his family can find comfort in the very near future.
What I cannot understand is why there have not ben any comments made to the correlation between smokeless tobacco use and parotid cancer. It is an natural assumption when baseball players use it- but not when looking at singers/performers although they are often very likely users of smokeless tobacco products because it saves their vocal chords while still giving them the nicotine "hit". Even if he quit the use of these products with his conversion to Buddhism, chronic use during his youth, young adult years would be a contributing factor. This is very sad- I have large volumes of brain space devoted to Beastie Boys lyrics, and MCA's voice will always be assigned to the soundtrack of my youth, may he have found Nirvana.
My previous comment came out sounding awfully judgmental, what I meant was that smokeless tobacco is often the cause of head and neck cancers, and that tobacco is in general the cause of cancer that is not always of the obvious throat and lung variety. It does not have to be used by the person who has the cancer either, " that hypocrite smokes 2 packs a day". Additionally there is evidence that head and neck cancer is being caused by HPV virus- creating an indication that there is a need for boys to be vaccinated against the virus as well. None of this is documented as the Cause of Adam's disease, and it is his right to have his medical information kept private. I only highlight this information as education to those who may be looking because they have found a lump, or because they have read the dissemination of false information in discussions after the death of a public figure. One can never know the predisposing factors that cause another person to get or have cancer, it can even be hard to understand when the diagnosis is handed out to you, so conjecture aside, I am saddened by the loss of MCA. I am sure that I will remember songs on Paul's Boutique when I have forgotten who my children are, lol!
duplicate entry
Wait a minute I want to get this straight. He wasn't "obese" he didn't eat meat and he was fairly young. How can this be? Isn't it only the "obese" who get ill and die? That's what we'be been told
I was shocked to hear of passing.My thoughts and prayers to his family. I've followed his progress since July of 2009 I had the same cancer and surgery in June of 2009 .Cancer is nasty thing it runs our family why ?
I had parotid cancer, had surgery in 2007 in Houston. So far I'm ok, but I feel sad for this guy who is the same age as me...I hope my cancer is not coming back.
Rest in peace and strength to your family and friends, Yauch (MCA). You and the Beastie Boys were a huge part in my life (and now my children who love the band) as well as millions of others growing up. We all thank you for your tremendous contributions to music, film and social awareness. I raise a glass of Brass Monkey to you.