Ben Stiller Tells Howard Stern That He Was Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

Benjamin Edward Meara, better known as Ben Stiller, spoke about his diagnosis with prostate cancer on Tuesday's Howard Stern Show and how he secretly had surgery to eradicate his prostate. Three months following the operation, the 50-year old actor was declared cancer free.

The American actor and filmmaker discussed his ordeal to sensitize people about prostate-specific antigen or PSA blood test, which are labeled by some health organizations as being unnecessary. He said that the subject of PSA test has become very controversial but it's the only early screener for diagnosis of prostate cancer. Stiller was also joined on the show by his healthcare physician to discuss on how he was treated.

When asked on why he revealed about this just now, Stiller stated that it was on account of the controversy related to the test. When the Reality Bites star was told by his urologist that he had cancer, he got in touch with many doctors, which included Robert De Niro's physician.

Stiller later wrote a piece on Medium about his experience stating that the doctor performed a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy assisted by a robot. The actor states that he still undergoes regular tests and encourages people to get their PSA level checked.

He wrote that the American Cancer Society suggests getting tested at age 50 for the first time while the US Preventive Service Task Force goes against undergoing the test altogether.  Steller also spoke about his sex life post-surgery with Stern.

Stiller's discussion of his diagnosis stimulated chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, Angela Culhane to applaud the actor for his courage in candidly talking about his personal experience. She said that the disease kills one person every hour in the UK alone; however, if caught at an early stage, it can be treated successfully. Even though it's the second most lethal cancer, it's also one of the easiest to be cured if detected early.