Ben Stiller Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
The comedian, 50, was diagnosed two years ago.
— -- For the first time, funnyman Ben Stiller is opening up about a serious scare two years ago.
Stiller told Howard Stern today that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 48. He added that early detection helped his doctor treat the disease.
"At first, I didn't know what was going to happen. I was scared ... It came out of the blue for me," Stiller, now 50, told Stern.
Stiller spoke out because he had no history of the disease in his family. He found out about the cancer through a prostate-specific antigen test recommended by his doctor. He said he wants to make others aware of the disease.
"This thing saved my life [the test], I gotta say something," he said, adding he knows he got "lucky."
Still added that he called his "Meet the Parents" co-star Robert De Niro on advice for treatment, given the acting legend had also battled the disease.
"He hooked me up with his doctor," Stiller said, sitting next to Dr. Ted Schaeffer, the man who performed the operation.
"It was picked up early and he's doing great," Schaeffer said.
After surgery, his tests came back clean, but he still gets the PSA test.
"It's part of who I am now," he said.
Stiller recently starred in "Zoolander 2" and is involved in "Dodgeball 2," among other upcoming movies, according to IMDb.