Lee Chan-won Reveals Cancer Battle, Vows to Quit Drinking

Singer Lee Chan-won will reveal the heartbreaking behind-the-scenes story of his favorite chanson, 'Hymn of Love,' on KBS2's 'Celebrity Soldier's Secret,' focusing on liver cancer, known as the 'silent killer.' The broadcast will highlight the dangers of liver cancer through the tragic lives of Edith Piaf, Johannes Brahms, and Heo Cham.

Edith Piaf, the queen of French chanson, relied on strong alcohol, high-dose aspirin, and morphine to forget the grief of losing her beloved lover in a plane crash, repeatedly falling into a coma as a result. Dr. Jeon Hong-jae, an oncologist, analyzed this as likely being 'hepatic encephalopathy' rather than simple fainting, explaining the destructive mechanism that progresses from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis and then to liver cancer.

Johannes Brahms, a master of Romantic music, shared the heartbreaking story of unrequited love for Clara, his teacher's wife who was 14 years his senior, for over 40 years. Lee Chan-won introduced that Brahms endured this pain through '​overeating,' and traced the cause of his tragedy, noting that his skin turned yellow after Clara's death and he suddenly passed away just 11 months after her death.

Liver cancer is considered one of the most challenging diseases for chemotherapy, because when strong anticancer drugs are administered to a liver already weakened by its detoxification function, the liver can collapse first. Dr. Jeon Hong-jae highlighted '​immunotherapy' as a key to overcoming this dilemma, introducing a hopeful case where a stage 4 liver cancer patient with a 20cm giant tumor achieved 'complete remission' in 2023, with all cancer cells completely disappearing after immunotherapy treatment.

Dr. Lee Nak-joon expressed his admiration for the advancements in modern medicine. Lee Chan-won, who was advised to abstain from alcohol, declared his intention to moderate his drinking on the spot, while also eliciting laughter with a playful question about the location of the company dinner. The broadcast is set to dramatically unfold the tragic chain reaction from chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis to liver cancer through the lives of Edith Piaf, Johannes Brahms, and Heo Cham.