Charlie Sheen is relieved to bid farewell to 2014 after suffering a secret cancer scare.

The Anger Management star reveals he paid a visit to his doctor last year (14) to discover why he had been repeatedly losing his voice, and was stunned to learn he had a potentially pre-cancerous growth in his throat that would require immediate treatment.

Sheen opted to seek out a second opinion from another medic, who determined his illness was actually the result of acid reflux, but the actor admits his worries about his health had him terrified he would die - and he immediately began imagining his own funeral.

He tells the National Enquirer, "As soon as I was told I may have the Big C, my mind flashed forward. First, I pictured a scene where my kids were around my hospital bedside as I lay there dying. That kind of spooks the hell out of you, emotionally.

"I didn't think about what treatment I might have or what pain I might be in or anything like that. I took it right to the end in my mind and wondered who would be at my funeral, mourning my passing. (The doctor) wanted to do a very aggressive procedure with some green laser that would cut out these nodes on my vocal cords.

"The whole thing was absolutely terrifying. My girlfriend at that time was with me (when I got the all-clear) and we both fell into each other's arms crying."

Sheen, who split from fiancee Brett Rossi in October (14), reveals the scare was a "wake-up call" which has prompted him to undergo more regular check-ups.

He adds, "I'm going to be more diligent about getting regular check-ups. This was a wake-up call and I'm not ready yet for the big, dramatic ending I imagined."