Michael Douglas Talks to David Letterman About His Cancer

Michael Douglas appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and opened up about his stage four throat cancer and the treatments he's going through.

Michael Douglas shocks America by revealing that his throat cancer is stage four, on The Late Show with David Letterman. But the 65-year-old actor proved he still has his sense of humor.

Letterman asked, "Did they find it early enough for their liking?"

"I sure as [expletive deleted] hope so," replied Douglas.

Looking thinner but resolute, Douglas told David Letterman that his cancer was caused by years of smoking and drinking.

"I finished my first week of radiation and chemo," said Douglas.

"You've never looked better to me, this proves that you're a tough guy," said Letterman.

Douglas is also on the cover of the new issue of People. And his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is speaking out for the first time about his cancer battle in the magazine, saying, "It wasn't a huge shock. I knew something was up. He knew something was up. The one thing that struck me first is, 'this doesn't happen to Michael Douglas.' "

"It'd been bothering me for a while. In early summer I had a really sore throat. I actually went through a littany of doctors and tests, they didn't find anything," said Douglas.

Douglas was finally diagnosed with cancer three weeks ago. He says he's not blaming anyone for missing his tumor, which is at the base of his tongue and the size of a walnut. But his wife is far less forgiving.  Zeta-Jones says, "It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier. He sought every option and nothing was found."

Dr. Daniel Fass is a radiation oncologist who has never treated Michael Douglas.

"It's very common that head and neck cancers are not diagnosed immediately because it's a difficult area to examine, and most of the time people have a sore throat it's not related to cancer," Dr. Fass told INSIDE EDITION.

Douglas is undergoing a grueling eight-week course of radiation and chemotherapy. He says that he has an 80 percent chance of full recovery.

Sharon Cotliar, Assistant Editor of People magazine said, "Catherine and Michael said they are very open with their kids. So Michael sat them down and said, 'Daddy has cancer.' And in fact, he took them to the medical center where he's being treated so that he could eliminate their fear of the unknown."

Letterman said to Douglas, "I feel like I want to do something for you. Can I do something?"

Douglas replied, "Give me a hug!"

The courageous actor also got a standing ovation from the studio audience.