Veteran Hollywood star Michael Douglas says he has beaten his cancer tumor*, and is eating “like a pig” to put back weight he lost during a grueling* battle with the disease.

    In his first TV interview since he was diagnosed* last August, the 66-year-old says he hopes to live many more years, citing his elderly parents including father Kirk Douglas as giving him favorable genes.

    “The odds* are, with the tumor gone and what I know about this particular type of cancer, that I’ve got it beat,” he told NBC’s “Today Show” in an interview broadcast yesterday.

    The two-time Oscar winner will still have to undergo monthly checkups*, but said his life was returning to normal.

    “I’m eating like a pig... I lost about 32 pounds. And I’ve put about 12 back,” he said, adding that he was working out in a gym.

    Douglas revealed his diagnosis when he returned to the United States from a summer holiday. In September he said he was in stage-four cancer but with an 80-percent chance of beating it.

    But by December he was well enough to resume work, although he said he was due to have a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan* this month to see whether the walnut-sized tumor had been successfully eradicated*.

    Douglas is already preparing for his next movie, the title role of a biopic* of flamboyant* entertainer Liberace, and hopes to promote his latest films “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” and “Solitary Man” for the Oscars next month.

    Speaking on the “Today Show,” he said his family genes gave him a good chance for longevity*, while admitting: “It’s put a timeline on my life.

    “I’m 66 now. You know, I’m fortunate I’ve got a mother who’s 88 — she’ll kill me, she may be 87,” he said.

    “My father’s 94. So, you know, I feel good about those genes. But it’s definitely a third act. And so you’re a little more conscious* of your time in how you choose to spend it.” (SD-Agencies)