61 year old world renowned composer Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer which is, if reports are to be believed, in "very early stages". Despite the startling discovery, which has now been made public after many speculations, Lord Lloyd Webber has promised his friends that he will soon be back on his regular schedule. "The show WILL go on", he has been quoted as saying.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, who is best known for his musical Phantom of the Opera, has also seen unprecedented success in West End productions such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar. The coming year is very buy for the composer as he plans to release Love Never Dies, a sequel to his much celebrated Phantom of the Opera, as well as look for cast member for a The Wizard of the Oz BBc TV series.

A spokesman for Lord Lloyd Webber said, "Andrew's condition is in its very early stages. He is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year".

The most common form of cancer affecting men across Britain, prostate cancer generally attacks males over the age of 50. Currently, about 35,000 new cases are diagnosed in the country every year. While the figures are disturbing, The Prostate Cancer Charity says that early diagnosis and treatment improve a patient's chances of survival manifolds.