Lance Armstrong recently offered an interesting answer about whether his performance-enhancing drug use caused his cancer.
Armstrong is the subject of a new documentary called “Lance” that is being aired by ESPN. In the documentary, Armstrong is asked whether he thinks he got cancer from his doping.
"I don't know the answer to that."
—Lance Armstrong when asked if he thought he got cancer because of doping pic.twitter.com/Fo3YnIJtow
— ESPN (@espn) May 25, 2020
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Armstrong answered. “And I don’t want to say no because I don’t think that’s right, either. I don’t know if it’s yes or no, but I certainly wouldn’t say no.
“The only thing I will tell you is the only time in my life that I ever did growth hormone was the 1996 season [before being diagnosed with moderate to advanced cancer in October 1996]. So just in my head, I’m like, ‘growth, growing, hormones and cells.’ Like, if anything good needs to be grown, it does. But wouldn’t it make sense that if anything bad is there, that it, too, would grow?”
Armstrong began training with controversial trainer Michele Ferrari in late 1995, and that’s when he began using erythropoetin (EPO), which increases red blood cells. A former teammate says Armstrong told a doctor in 1996 that he used growth hormone, cortisone, EPO, steroids and testosterone.”
Armstrong was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer in October 1996. By the time doctors examined him, they found out the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, lungs, brain, and abdomen. Armstrong underwent surgery and chemotherapy to remove and treat the cancer. By February 1997, he was declared cancer-free.
Armstrong resumed his professional cycling career and later won seven straight Tour de Frances from 1999-2005.
The answer from Armstrong is quite notable. Back in 2013, when he first finally publicly admitted to doping on Oprah, Lance said he did not think his PED use caused his cancer. Now he either has changed his mind or is being more honest with himself and the public.
