Los Angeles: Actor Ben Stiller has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 and said getting informed about it at the right time saved his life.
The “Zoolander 2” actor is now raising awareness of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test, reported People magazine.
“If ([my doctor) had waited, as the American Cancer Society recommends, until I was 50, I would not have known I had a growing tumor until two years after I got treated,” the star said.
“If he had followed the US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines, I would have never gotten tested at all, and not have known I had cancer until it was way too late to treat successfully,” he said.
The actor said him getting diagnosed with cancer was like a scene out of a movie. He said his doctor’s voice “literally faded out like every movie or TV show about a guy being told he had cancer… A classic Walter White moment, except I was me, and no one was filming anything at all.”
Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer on June 13, 2014. On September 17 of that year he got a test back telling that he was cancer free.
“At first, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was scared. As I learned more about my disease, I was able to wrap my head around the fact that I was incredibly fortunate. Fortunate because my cancer was detected early enough to treat. And also because my internist gave me a test he didn’t have to.
“Afterwards, it just gives you an appreciation for life. Every six months I’m taking my PSA test to make sure I’m clear.