(NBC)
Ben Stiller spoke about his battle with prostate cancer on Tuesday’s “Today” show. Watch below.
As Gossip Cop reported, Stiller revealed he had cancer in 2014 during an interview last month with Howard Stern. He now appeared on “Today” to discuss the health issue alongside his doctor. “I’m doing great,” the actor assured Matt Lauer. “Cancer-free, as of today. Anybody’s who had cancer knows you just have to keep on checking on it, but I’m really fortunate.”
Reflecting on his diagnosis, Stiller said, “It’s surreal. It’s not something I was really thinking about. It wasn’t on my radar at all. And if it wasn’t for this test we’re gonna talk about, I don’t know if I would’ve had as easy a course of treatment, or the prognosis that I did have.”
That test the star referred to is called PSA, and entails tracking antigen levels. Stiller’s doctor, however, discussed some of the controversy behind the test, but for the actor, it may have saved his life. “I was really fortunate that my course of treatment was basically an operation,” he said, revealing that his prostate was removed.
There was some laughs when Lauer asked “in general terms” if Stiller had to deal with any of the side effects, which include impotence and incontinence. “Yeah, but I’m doing good,” he insisted while giving the thumbs-up sign. More seriously he said, “When you’re confronted with, ‘do you want to live, or do you want your sex life to be the best it can be,’ I opted for getting rid of the cancer.”
Stiller urged men watching, “Please talk to your doctor about this. Be aware. If it was up to me, I’d say every guy should get tested after the age of 40, 45.” Check out the full video below.
