Dustin Diamond completes first round of chemo amid stage IV small cell carcinoma diagnosis
Dustin Diamond has completed his first round of chemotherapy amid his cancer battle.
A rep for the Saved By the Bell alum, 44, tells Yahoo Entertainment that tests have determined the former child star has stage IV small cell carcinoma cancer after his initial cancer diagnosis earlier this month.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Small cell lung cancer is fast-growing lung cancer that develops in the tissues of the lungs. By the time a person gets a diagnosis, small cell lung cancer has typically spread (metastasized) outside of the lungs.” It is also the “least common type of lung cancer” and spreads faster than non-small cell lung cancer.
Diamond “completed his first round of chemo and his next round is being scheduled,” his spokesperson Roger Paul tells Yahoo Entertainment. “He will also begin his physical therapy soon.”
Paul went on to say Diamond “is looking forward to spending more time with his girlfriend, playing his bass guitar/video games, as well as making videos for his fans on social media.” Also, Diamond appreciates the cards and letters that have been sent to him and future ones can be sent to: Insurance King, C/O Dustin Diamond, 127 N. Alpine Rd., Rockford, Ill., 61107.
Diamond — who played Screech on the original Saved By the Bell — was hospitalized in Florida in early January to undergo tests after he noticed “a huge lump on his throat,” his rep said at the time. On Jan. 14, it was determined that he had cancer and that it was stage IV — because it had spread to different parts of his body — but they were waiting for a formal diagnosis to give a better “understanding of the severity of his condition and what treatments he will need.”
The original Saved by the Bell was must-see TV from 1989 to 1993, and Diamond played Screech not just the show but two spinoffs, Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, as well as two TV movies. However, he also had many personal struggles and alienated himself from the rest of the cast. He was not invited to join his former co-stars on the new reboot of the show which airs on the Peacock streaming service was recently picked up for a second season.
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