Published Jul 31, 2019

Did You Know Robert De Niro is 15 Years Cancer-Free? Now He’s Starring in “The Irishman” & Nominated For 2 Emmys

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One thing many people don’t know about actor Robert De Niro — known for his many infamous tough guy roles in films such as “Goodfellas” and “Taxi Driver” — is that he is a 15-year cancer survivor. De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer when he was 60 years old in 2003. But thanks to regular cancer screening which led to his doctors catching the disease early, the actor was treated swiftly — and was able to continue his prolific acting career.

Prostate cancer is really common in American men — 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed at some point in his life — and early detection is key. About 2.9 million prostate cancer survivors are currently living in the U.S. today. Fifteen years after beating the disease, De Niro was nominated for two Emmys in 2019, and he’s starring in Martin Scorsese’s new film “The Irishman” — the trailer for which just dropped today.

Robert De Niro appears in the 1990 mobster flick “Goodfellas.”

De Niro, now 75, doesn’t really speak about his cancer battle. At the time of diagnosis, a spokesperson for the actor simply confirmed that he did, in fact, have cancer, that the disease was caught during a routine PSA screening test, and that De Niro received treatment for the cancer in New York. It was later confirmed that he was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. De Niro is not alone in wishing to keep his cancer diagnosis private. Many survivors, especially those who are public figures like De Niro, keep the details of their cancer treatment — or even the fact that they have cancer at all — to themselves and their close family members.

De Niro’s publicist credited routine check-ups and De Niro’s good health with his ability to make a full recovery. In general, it is recommended that men start screening for prostate cancer at age 55 and continue until at least age 70. Because prostate cancer — even when aggressive — is typically slow-growing, the possibility that it will become fatal past age 70 is quite low. Still, many men do continue to screen past 70; this is a decision men can make with their doctor.

High-risk men, however, may need to begin screening before age 50. When doctors say “high-risk,” they typically mean men who have a family history of the disease or men of an ethnicity where prostate cancer is more common (African-American men, for example, are much more likely to develop prostate cancer).

De Niro will star in the new Martin Scorsese-directed movie, “The Irishman.” The trailer dropped on Wednesday.

When men do begin getting screened for prostate cancer, the screening process is quite simple. A doctor will perform a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate gland. When discussing prostate cancer risk and prevention with SurvivorNet, Dr. Edwin Posadas, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said that the rectal exam may be uncomfortable — but it’s quick and it’s extremely helpful.

"It's slightly uncomfortable but painless, and takes less than 30 seconds," Dr. Posadas said. "The amount of information that is gained from that is tremendous, and it can be a life-and-death type decision that is made.”

In De Niro’s case, he was declared cancer-free shortly after his cancer was detected. Though he did not disclose publicly what type of treatment he underwent, he has been healthy ever since, and even went onto father a sixth child in 2011, when he was 68 years old.

Plus, his acting career shows no sign of slowing down. The trailer for “The Irishman” — which also stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci — made a huge splash in the online world Wednesday. The film will debut on Netflix, though an official release date has not yet been disclosed.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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