Michael Douglas diagnosed with throat cancer

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with throat cancer but said that he is optimistic about a full recovery.

The 65-year-old actor, who is the son of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas, is set to begin chemotherapy after doctors discovered a tumour in his throat during a routine medical check-up, reported People magazine online.

The Oscar winner's doctors expect him to make a full recovery as soon as he completes eight weeks of treatment, which will include a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.

"I am very optimistic," Douglas said in a statement to the magazine.

No word yet on how the treatment will affect his work schedule, as Douglas has a lot on his plate, including promotion for his return to the character Gordon Gekko in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps which opens in September.

The actor is enjoying a high in a career spanning four decades and cult films like Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and Traffic.

Douglas has been married since 2000 to the Mask opf Zorro actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and they have two young children together.

The actor also has a son Cameron, from his earlier marriage to Diandra Douglas.

Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters