Comedian Koi-san announces throat cancer, to pause work from October 19
In short
Koi-san (恋さん), 50, of the comedy duo Shampoo Hat, announced on October 13 that he has oropharyngeal cancer. He said he would pause work from October 19 for treatment while continuing his YouTube channel.
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Koi-san (恋さん), 50, of the Japanese comedy duo Shampoo Hat, disclosed on his YouTube channel on October 13 that he has oropharyngeal cancer. He said he would take a break from work starting October 19, including theatre appearances, but planned to keep publishing videos on the channel. TBS NEWS DIG reported that treatment would begin on October 19. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
He said he had noticed a lump in his neck in August and undergone tests. According to Nippon TV News and TBS NEWS DIG, he explained that the lump was a site of cancer spread and that the primary cancer was in a tonsil inside his mouth. He also said tests had found another small cancer in a place he could not see, leaving him with three cancer sites. [ 2 , 3 ]
Koi-san described the cancer as stage 1, but said its size put it near the boundary with stage 2. He said a doctor consulted for a second opinion had told him stage 2 was possible if it had grown. TBS NEWS DIG reported that after finding the lump he had visited his regular ear, nose and throat doctor, who advised testing at a larger hospital. [ 2 , 3 ]
He appeared on the television programme Yonchan TV on October 14 and discussed his condition again, Livedoor News reported. He said his weight loss resulted from restricting his food intake too much and that he needed to regain weight before treatment. Koi-san formed Shampoo Hat with Tetsuji (てつじ) in November 1994, according to Yahoo! News Japan. The duo became finalists in this year's THE SECOND comedy competition, the outlet reported. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The planned break includes theatre appearances. He discussed his condition again on television on October 14 ahead of treatment.
Key facts
- Koi-san announced his oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis on YouTube on October 13. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said a neck lump he noticed in August was a site of cancer spread from his tonsil. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He plans to pause work from October 19 for treatment. [ 3 , 4 ]
- He said he would continue his YouTube channel. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the cancer is stage 1 or stage 2. He described stage 1 but said a second-opinion doctor had raised the possibility of stage 2 if it had grown.