Floor Jansen: does Nightwish singer have breast cancer, Instagram statement - will band still go on tour?

Dutch singer Floor Jansen has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The 41-year old has been the lead vocalist of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish for almost a decade.

In her announcement, Jansen assured fans that her prognosis “is very good”, but urged her followers to get regular checkups themselves.

What did Floor Jansen say about her breast cancer diagnosis?

Jansen revealed the news of her diagnosis on Instagram in an open letter to her fans on Wednesday 27 October.

Jansen said: “A letter to you. Life comes in waves, with ups and downs. I have had the joy of riding many highs, and I have shared these with you through social media and the many shows worldwide throughout the years of my career.

“But a new wave hit me. Not a good one. I have breast cancer. I was diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago and I will have surgery tomorrow to remove my tumor. My prognosis is very good!! It seems to be non-aggressive cancer which seems to not have spread. I will keep my breast. And I will be cancer free after this surgery, plus a local radiation treatment that will take place three months after this surgery hopefully. We will know more after the surgery to see if the positive prognosis stands.”

During her statement the Dutch singer urged other women to get regular screenings as much as possible to spot any early signs.

She wrote: “The word cancer is a shocker. All that you found important in life before the diagnosis changes radically within minutes. Now I just want to be healthy again. I want to see my daughter grow into a woman; I want to live! And the scariest part of this diagnosis is that I thought I was healthy! I didn’t feel the cancer, I didn’t know I was there until I, as a 40+ woman, went to a standard mammogram checkup. Something many countries offer, for free even for some.

“Had I not gone there, the tumour would have gone undetected. In a year from now this could have grown much bigger. The thought of that makes me share this story with you.

“A mammogram is life saving! It’s uncomfortable and you might think that you won’t have something in your breast anyway but GO! And for the men reading this: remind your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister to go and get checked. Even without the luxury as I go as a western woman, experience with free mammogram checkups: GO! Luckily, there are many organisations that offer information about self-detection if you don’t have access or funds for a mammogram.”

The singer said that if her experience helped encourage others to get regular checkups, then something “good will come out of this cancer diagnosis”.

Will Nightwish still go ahead with their European Tour?

Nightwish are set to head out on a European tour from 20 November until 21 December. The tour will see them travel to a number of major cities such as Antwerp, London, Birmingham, Dublin, Berlin and Amsterdam.

Despite her diagnosis Jansen explained that, “if all goes as planned”, she should still be able to go on tour.

She said: “If all goes as planned, I will be up and running in time for the European tour with Nightwish, that will start on the 20th of November! And I am optimistic since my prognosis is good. I promise to take good care of myself.”

There are still some tickets available for Nightwish’s upcoming tour which are available via the Ticketmaster website. Standing tickets for the London show are priced at £46 and seated tickets are priced at around £51.26.