Stanley Tucci opens up about “brutal” cancer treatments

It was initially revealed in 2021 that actor Stanley Tucci had been diagnosed and treated for Oral Cancer three years earlier. He had a tumor at the base of his tongue and underwent chemotherapy and radiation.

Since then Tucci has shared little about his journey with chemotherapy, instead, he advocated for others to be cautious of their health and get checkups when needed. Until now, he’s revealing how much he struggled with his cancer treatments.

A terrifying ordeal

In a recent interview with Today’s Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown, Tucci opened up about his personal battle with cancer. The 62-year-old actor recalled the moment he learned he had the disease, which he described as “terrifying” for him, given the fact that he had already lost his first wife Kate Tucci to breast cancer in 2009.

“My late wife and I, we traveled all over the world trying to find a cure for her. So when I got it, I was completely shocked,” he explained. “I was terrified, absolutely terrified.”

Tucci went on to describe his treatment for oral cancer as “brutal” despite the suffering, he was grateful that the cancer did not spread.

He underwent both chemotherapy and radiation, which are known to have difficult side effects. Chemotherapy can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and hair loss, among other symptoms. Radiation therapy can cause mouth sores, difficulty swallowing, and skin irritation, among other side effects.

“I lost 35 lbs.,” he said. “I couldn’t eat. I had a feeding tube for six months and everything tasted like you know what and smelled like you know what. And it took months and months and months for me to finally be able to eat again and then taste properly again.”

Family Support

However, Tucci credits his wife Felicity Blunt, and sister-in-law and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ costar Emily Blunt for their support during his treatments.

“I was so afraid,” he said of his treatments. “I mean, they had to drag me kicking and screaming but I wouldn’t be around if I hadn’t done that.”

A painful condition and treatment

The ‘Citadel’ actor was diagnosed back in 2017. He claims to have spent two years living in extreme pain in his jaw before his condition was accurately diagnosed. He touched on the experience to People, last year.

“I had a scan, but the scan missed it. And of course, when you think that there might be something wrong, you’re also afraid that there is something wrong,” Tucci shared.

After seeing different doctors, the actor was correctly diagnosed with having a 3-centimeter tumor at the base of his tongue: “They couldn’t do surgery because the tumor was so big. It’s a miracle that it didn’t metastasize. It had been in me so long.”

Tucci luckily was able to undergo a 35-day long radiation treatment along with chemotherapy. The treatment was not without negative side effects which thankfully resolved with time.