Stars Just Like Us: Actor Robert de Niro, 80, Had To Argue With Insurance Company To Get Prostate Cancer Treatment Covered, Even Held Up Filming

According to Reuters, the insurance company said, “Mr. De Niro failed to fully disclose information which was critical to our decision to offer insurance coverage…As a result, the film had to be postponed for four months, at significant cost to the motion picture production company.”

De Niro’s lawyer at the time noted the “Goodfellas” actor did not misrepresent his health to the production’s insurance company at the time of disclosure. After completing prostate cancer treatment, De Niro continued filming “Hide and Seek,” a film about a widower struggling to cope after his wife’s death and their daughter developing an unnerving imaginary friend, according to television and film resource IMDB.

De Niro’s career continued to thrive after battling cancer, which included multiple Emmy nominations.

De Niro’s Prostate Cancer Journey

De Niro’s prostate cancer journey began when he was 60 years old, following a routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test. An elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer. It could also reflect that your prostate is enlarged, which is common, or it could signal an infection or inflammation.

Your doctor may also conduct a digital rectal exam (DRE) to check your prostate for lumps.

Depending on the results of these tests, imaging scans and a biopsy may be ordered.

De Niro hasn’t been too vocal about his cancer diagnosis. He underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before making a full recovery. Years after battling the disease, the actor started preaching awareness to men about prostate cancer.

More on Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a common cancer among 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.

When Is Hormone Therapy Appropriate for Prostate Cancer Treatment?

Hormone therapy can help slow prostate cancer growth. Hormone therapy is sometimes referred to as androgen suppression therapy because it aims to lower androgens, the male hormones that can stimulate prostate cancer growth. It is sometimes used by itself or in combination with other treatments such as radiation or surgery. This treatment is a practical and common treatment approach for prostate cancer.

WATCH: Understanding hormone therapy for prostate cancer

Hormone therapy is more likely to be used for more aggressive localized (confined to the prostate) prostate cancer. Suppose you have surgery to remove the prostate. In that case, hormone therapy may be used afterward to address any high-risk features that may be found during surgery or if tests reveal you have elevated PSA in the blood after surgery.

If the cancer is regionalized, meaning it’s spread a little beyond the prostate, hormone therapy in combination with radiation therapy may be an option.

Metastatic or stage 4 prostate cancer is often treated first by hormone therapy in combination with other medications.

While there are different types of hormone therapy drugs aimed at decreasing androgens (male hormones) that cause prostate cancer cells to grow, they can also leave patients with lingering side effects.

Some of the side effects of hormone therapy may include:

• Decreased sexual desire
• Fatigue
• Erectile dysfunction
• Weight gain
• Muscle loss

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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