Duran Duran's Andy Taylor Says Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatment Saved Him from 'End-of-Life Care'

Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor is speaking out about his cancer diagnosis.

The guitarist, 62, was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018 but is now showing no symptoms of the disease, after undergoing treatment that administered radioactive chemicals to target his cancer cells, he told The Times on Friday.

“I was classified as palliative, end-of-life care,” Taylor revealed to the outlet. “Now I’m not; I’m asymptomatic.”

Speaking about Welsh scientist Christopher Evans, who created the cutting-edge treatment, Taylor added, “He’s a genius. I call him the Elon Musk of cancer.” 

Yet it hasn't been an easy process. According to The Times, Taylor becomes “radioactive for several days” after his treatments and must sleep alone for two weeks. He also has five more rounds of treatment left, having had his first session two weeks ago.

The musician has also suffered multiple psychological ups and downs during his cancer journey and told The Times his lowest point came six weeks after his diagnosis when he fully understood the ramifications of his illness.

"You’re gonna have to say goodbye to your family. You’re not going to see your grandson’s 10th birthday," Taylor said he realized. "Psychologically it’s mind-blowing — you can’t have therapy to remove the certainty of death.”

After keeping his diagnosis private outside of his family, Taylor’s illness was revealed at Duran Duran’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022 when bandmate Simon Le Bon read out a letter the guitarist had penned to the audience in Los Angeles.

"Just over four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and of course, we are no different; so I speak from the perspective of a family man but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have and this exceptional accolade," Taylor wrote in his speech, in part.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I'm so very proud of these four brothers; I'm amazed at their durability, and I'm overjoyed at accepting this award," he added. "I often doubted the day would come. I'm sure as hell glad I'm around to see the day."

Taylor, who is set to release his solo album, Man’s a Wolf on Sept. 8, also revealed to The Times that Le Bon visited him at his home in Ibiza, Spain days after the Induction, where the pair recorded music together in Taylor's home studio.

Le Bon also recently played his new song "This Will Be Ours" on his Sirius digital radio show.

In February, Taylor opened up to PEOPLE about his marriage with his wife Tracey Wilson and how it has been crucial to coping with his cancer.

"I'm glad I've got a strong marriage," he said. "The real support you get is from your family. They're the people who have to live with [the diagnosis] daily."

"If [they] understand it, and understand not to ask that question, try to stay optimistic in general and not to hide life from you, but just to have a birthday pie," he continued. "Don't talk politics. Just be happy that you're all here still."