Thriving Years After Cancer
- Actor Ben Stiller, 58, is returning to the big screen to star in a new movie alongside comedian Colin Farrell roughly a decade after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- Stiller was encouraged to get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test despite being younger than the recommended age of 55. He was able to catch his “mid-range aggressive” cancer early and undergo treatment.
- Stiller underwent a prostatectomy, which is a surgical treatment option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland.During this procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Side effects may follow this procedure, which may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
- Although research is ongoing to enhance prostate cancer screening, SurvivorNet experts support standard testing methods such as a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. This test measures the level of PSA in the blood, and higher levels can indicate cancer.
“Zoolander” actor Ben Stiller, 58, is returning to the big screen for a role in a new movie based on the book “In the Belly of the Beast.” Stiller, a prostate cancer survivor, will join comedian Colin Farrell in the film directed by Andrew Haigh. Stiller’s latest project is a shining example of how thriving for many years after a cancer diagnosis is possible.
The plot of the movie, “All of Us Strangers,” focuses on an imprisoned man who wrote letters to a journalist about what life is like inside a maximum-security prison. Stiller will portray the journalist, Normal Mailer, while Farrell will portray Jack Henry Abbot, who is incarcerated. ComingSoon.net reports Stiller and Farrell have already been cast for the film.
Read MoreHelping Patients Understand Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Stiller’s Prostate Cancer Journey
Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. According to an essay he published, he underwent surgery three months after he was diagnosed.
Stiller underwent a prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) when he was 46, which helped kickstart his cancer journey. The PSA test measures the prostate-specific antigen in the blood alongside a digital rectal exam (DRE) to screen for prostate cancer. His biopsy results revealed that he had “mid-range aggressive” cancer.
He said that he had “no history of prostate cancer” in his family.
“I’m healthy today because of it. I was a thoughtful internist who felt like I was around the age to start checking my PSA level and discussed it with me,” Stiller wrote in his essay.
Stiller had a radical prostatectomy to remove the cancer. A prostatectomy is an option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Side effects may follow this procedure, which may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
WATCH: The PSA Test is helpful.
Dr. James Brooks, Chief Urologic Oncology Stanford Medicine, says current guidelines recommend prostate cancer screening begin at “age 55 and continue screening through age 70.”
However, men who are at higher risk of prostate cancer, such as having close family members diagnosed with the disease, should consider screening earlier.
“At least, at age 40, but probably even by age 35, they should have an initial PSA,” Dr. David Wise, a medical oncologist at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
Dr. Wise adds that the PSA test, at a younger age, is more accurate because the prostate has not increased in size, which can cause the test to be “more difficult to interpret.”
Stiller is thankful he screened for prostate cancer at an earlier age because he says he “would not have known.” The actor is sharing his experience with prostate cancer to help encourage other men to get screened.
More on Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It starts in the walnut-shaped prostate gland between the rectum and bladder, producing the fluid that nourishes sperm. Fortunately, most prostate cancer is caught with screening examinations.
Prostate cancer does not always behave the same in every man it impacts. The cancer can be considered “low-risk” and can be slow-growing, and treatment might not be necessary. In other men, the cancer may grow faster or more aggressively, requiring more immediate treatment. Because of this, there is some debate about screening.
Symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Urinating more often
- Waking up in the middle of the night to pee
- Blood in your urine
- Trouble getting an erection
- Pain or burning when you urinate
- Pain in your back, hips, thighs, or other bones
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
After testing and establishing your risk, your doctor will discuss possible treatment options. Treatment ranges from “active surveillance,” usually for men with low-risk prostate cancer, which again involves regular testing every six months to monitor the prostate and check for any progression of the disease.
More aggressive treatment options include surgery and radiation therapy.
Surgery is an option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland. The type of surgery most often used is called a radical prostatectomy.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Your doctor can perform this through a traditional open procedure with one large or several small incisions called laparoscopic surgery.
Surgery side effects may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Fortunately, the side effects are usually temporary, and there are ways to help you manage them.
Radiation therapy is often done when prostate cancer is caught early and confined to the prostate gland.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I had elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
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