Ben Stiller has opened up about what ‘saved his life’ during his shock cancer diagnosis.
Back in 2014, the Hollywood actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer, the symptoms of which can be ‘silent’ for many years.
Ben Stiller opened up about his prostate cancer (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
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The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis and is part of the male reproductive system.
Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually present until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube carrying urine from the bladder. At this point, symptoms include an increased need to urinate, straining when you pee and a feeling like your bladder hasn’t fully emptied.
Because prostate cancer can go undetected for so long, there is a test called the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures the level of PSA in your blood. The test is not routinely offered as a screening for the cancer as the results can be unreliable and can sometimes lead to unnecessary procedures.
However, if you are concerned or are at an increased risk of prostate cancer, you can discuss the test with your GP.
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The test measures the level of PSA in your blood (Getty Stock Photo)
For Stiller, he credits the test with saving his life.
“This is a complicated issue, and an evolving one,” Stiller wrote in 2016.
“But in this imperfect world, I believe the best way to determine a course of action for the most treatable, yet deadly cancer, is to detect it early.
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“Taking the PSA test saved my life.
“If I hadn’t gotten the test… right now I still wouldn’t have known.”
Stiller did not have any symptoms or family history, but his doctor decided to conduct the test, something which ended up being a lifesaving decision.
Speaking to the Today programme in 2016, he said: “The first one [PSA test] came in and it was a little high.
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“He said I just want to keep giving you this test every four or five months just to see what happens.
“But if it wasn’t for the test I don’t know if I would have had an easy course of treatment or the same prognosis.”
Stiller said the test saved his life (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League)
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
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More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average, which is the equivalent of 144 men every day.
There are many celebrities who have also come forward with their prostate cancer diagnosis, including Stephen Fry in 2018, and more recently, Clarkson’s Farm fan favourite Gerald Cooper.
Prostate Cancer UK explained: “Every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer – that’s more than 12,000 men every year. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.”
