slowdown and dance with.me.uk

New York Post Online Edition:
BREAST CANCER HITS KYLIE

By BILL HOFFMANN
----------------------------------------------
Grammy winner Kylie Minogue stunned fans when she said she has cancer.

May 18, 2005 -- Gutsy pop star Kylie Minogue — facing emergency surgery for breast cancer — vowed last night to beat the disease and return to performing as soon as possible.
"Hopefully all will work out fine and I'll be back with you all again soon. I am sorry I have to disappoint my fans," the 36-year-old hitmaker said.

Minogue, whose hits include "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "The Loco-Motion," was forced to cancel her "Showgirl" world tour, the biggest of her career.

She was resting at her family's home in Melbourne, Australia, as she prepared to kick off the Down Under leg of the tour Saturday, when tests detected "early breast cancer" needing immediate attention, her management team said.

Last night, the Grammy-winning entertainer's family and friends, including her pop-star kid sister Danni and Elton John, were praying for her recovery.

"We are all very optimistic that everything will be OK," said Danni, 33.

Her promoter, Michael Gudinski, said: "The one thing I know about Kylie is she's a fighter, and we're all thinking very, very positively and can't wait for the day she is smiling and back in action.

"But she's got a few tough weeks ahead of her. Let's all keep our fingers crossed."

Kylie's boyfriend, French actor Oliver Martinez, was at her side last night.

Dr. Julia Smith, a top oncologist at NYU Medical Center, told The Post that while the disease is serious, "if she has effective therapy at an early stage, she has a good chance of beating it."

One out of every 257 women in their 30s will be diagnosed with breast cancer, experts said.

Notables who have successfully battled the dread disease include Melissa Etheridge, Anastacia, Olivia Newton-John, Kate Jackson, Nancy Reagan, Gloria Steinem and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Kylie's dad, Ron, fought prostate cancer four years ago and doctors note that women with any kind of cancer in the family are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer at an early age.

About 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are thought to be triggered by inherited genes.