Stanley Tucci Recounts 'Devastating' Cancer Battle

Stanley Tucci is detailing his "devastating" battle with oral cancer, which resulted in him being fed through a tube for six months while undergoing radiation therapy on his throat. 

The grueling treatment destroyed his taste buds and saliva and now, three years later, the actor says he still can't eat everything he'd like to.

"It was bad ... it was much worse than I thought," he said during an appearance on Thursday's "Lorraine," according to Daily Mail. "The tumor was so large it was inoperable. The cancer had not metastasized."

The "Hunger Games" star previously revealed in an interview with Vera that the tumor was discovered at the base of his tongue and was too big to operate. In order to treat it, he had to undergo a "high-dose of radiation and chemo." It was during that time that he lost his sense of taste. The ordeal, he said, was "devastating." 

"Cancer makes you more afraid and less afraid at the same time," Tucci told Vera. "I feel much older than I did before I was sick. But you still want to get ahead and get things done."

Tucci did eventually regain his taste but he still struggles to swallow, People revealed.

"It was hard because I could taste everything, but I couldn't necessarily swallow," he said, remembering one incident in which he tried to eat steak Florentina. "I had to chew it for 10 minutes to get it down my throat." And in some cases, Tucci could never get his food down, and he "just had to get rid of the food."

The bigger picture looks positive though, with the cure rate being very high, he noted. 

"So it's three years later now and everything is fine, but I was unable to eat solid food for six months," Tucci added. "That said, it's a small price to pay for being alive and being able to accompany my family."

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