'Carrying a ton of anxiety': Gwyneth Paltrow fears she may suffer from same cancer that killed her father

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MEAWW previously reported when Danner opened up about her private health issues, revealing she is in remission after a battle with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a type of oral cancer. "I started feeling very woozy and I was forgetting everything. And then I felt a lump in my neck, right next to where Bruce had found his [in 1999]," said Danner. She added, "Everyone is touched by cancer in some way, but it’s unusual for a couple to have the same cancer." Sharing her inner turmoil after being diagnosed with the same disease in March 2018, the 79-year-old actress shared she "looked up at heaven and said to Bruce, 'Are you lonely up there?'" She added, "It’s a sneaky disease. But I’m fine and dandy now. And I’m lucky to be alive."

The 'Meet the Parents' star didn’t reveal it to her children until she figured out the disease and its complications completely. "I was obviously very shocked," Paltrow said. "It was scary. And it felt really eerie because it was so similar [to my dad’s]," she added. Danner was declared cancer-free in 2020, owing to 3 separate surgeries. Reflecting on her mother’s fight against cancer, the Goop founder said, "She went through it with so much grace. I was amazed at how strong she was able to be."

Danner is now in remission and closely working with the Oral Cancer Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of oral and oropharyngeal cancers. It is estimated that around 54,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. "Screening for the early signs by a dental professional is quick, inexpensive, and painless," says Brian Hill, the Foundation's Executive Director. He is also advocating for vaccinating children against HPV, a virus that can cause cancer in the mouth.