‘Today Show’ Icon Al Roker, 71, Reaches 5-Year Cancer Milestone, and Sends a Powerful Message to Men: ‘Get Checked’

“Doctor says, preliminary pathology, there’s nothing outside the prostate, and the preliminary pathology is looking good,” Roker said.

“Five years ago today, I had my cancerous prostate removed,” Roker captioned the social media post.

According to the National Cancer Institute, Remission means your cancer has responded to treatment and the signs and symptoms have lessened. Remission can be partial, where some signs remain, or complete, when all signs and symptoms have disappeared.

If you stay in complete remission for five years or more, some doctors might say you’re cured. However, it’s possible for a small number of cancer cells to remain in the body long after treatment ends. These cells can sometimes cause the cancer to return (recurrence). Most recurrences happen within the first five years, but in some cases, cancer can come back even later.

 

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Since uncertainty remains, doctors are often careful not to say someone is definitively cured. Instead, many doctors say there’s “no evidence of disease” at this time.

After thanking his care team, he used the moment to encourage other men to get their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels checked with their doctors, with an added shout-out to men of color who tend to be at higher risk of getting prostate cancer.

Al Roker continues to be a staunch advocate in using his platform to help raise awareness for early detection of prostate cancer. He joins survivors with metastatic prostate cancer in a discussion about finding new passion and purpose in survivorship as part of SurvivorNet’s upcoming documentary film series “Men Beating The Odds”.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Is Personal for Roker

Roker was diagnosed with an aggressive type of prostate cancer. He shared his diagnosis publicly on the “Today Show” in March 2020. During his comments, he explained that he would have surgery for treatment.

WATCH: Preparing Yourself for the Emotional Toll of Prostate Cancer

“My first reaction was, ‘I just want this out. I don’t want to do radiation,” Roker previously told SurvivorNet.

RELATED: Cancer Trials Need More Black Participants; Here’s How We Can Close the Gap on Racial Disparities in Cancer Care

“At the end of the day, I thought, ‘surgery first,’ then I thought, ‘no, maybe radiation,’ then I went back and (said), ‘no, surgery.’ That was that. Once I make a decision, I don’t really second-guess it,” Roker continued.

Roker had his prostate removed and some surrounding tissue and lymph nodes in a procedure called a radical prostatectomy. 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. Your doctor can perform this through a traditional open procedure called laparoscopic surgery with one large or several small incisions.

Side effects may follow this procedure, which may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.

“There really was no pain,” Roker said about how he felt post-operation. “The biggest issue, obviously, is sexual function, and there’s treatment for that. I’m happy to say everything’s working fine.”

“To be honest, the hardest part really, there’s a little incontinence (loss of bladder control) to begin with that eventually goes away to me,” he said. “The hardest part was that initial week after surgery, where you’re wearing a catheter (a soft tube that drains urine from the bladder). But even that was not onerous; it’s just a little inconvenient, but you know that it’s temporary.”

Men of Color Impacted By Prostate Cancer at Higher Rates

Research published in the medical journal “Cancer” states, “Black men are disproportionally affected by prostate cancer; they have the highest prostate cancer incidence in the United States (183.4 new cases per 100,000).”

Last year, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) released recommended screening guidelines for Black men in the United States and says, “Among Black men who elect screening, baseline PSA testing should occur between ages 40-45. Depending on the PSA value and health status, annual screening should be strongly considered.”

The New England Journal of Medicine highlights that Black men are at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer. Researchers, consisting of primary care, urology, medical and radiation oncology, translational science, and patient advocates, reviewed 287 studies using systematic review protocols to develop prostate cancer screening guidelines specific to Black men.

They determined, for Black men (higher-risk):

• Prostate cancer tends to develop 3–9 years earlier in Black men.
• Early discussions about PSA screening should begin in the early 40s.
• Baseline PSA testing between the ages of 40 and 45 is recommended.
• Continued screening until age 70, adjusted for PSA levels and health status, could reduce mortality by roughly 30% without a major overdiagnosis risk.

Easing “Scan-xiety”: Psychiatrist Shares Tools to Reclaim Calm and Control

Waiting for scan results can feel like holding your breath underwater—uncertain, isolating, and emotionally draining. This intense stress, often called “scan anxiety,” is a common experience for cancer patients and survivors. But according to Dr. Samantha Boardman, assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, there are proven psychological strategies that can help.

“Scan anxiety is unbelievably stressful,” Dr. Boardman told SurvivorNet.

“Probably one of the best antidotes that psychology can offer patients is to experience flow.”

What Is “Flow”—and Why It Works

“Flow” is a mental state where you become fully absorbed in an activity—so much so that time seems to disappear. It’s not just a distraction; it’s a therapeutic shift that quiets the mind and restores emotional balance.

“How can we experience flow in our daily lives? It’s usually in some form of a hobby, something we just do because we love doing it,” Dr. Boardman explained.

“I really encourage patients to find and experience something that gives them flow. It might be baking, gardening, or even doing housework. They’re so immersed in the experience that they’re not thinking about anything else.”

Dr. Boardman recommends engaging in activities that naturally promote flow. These include:

• Exercise – even light movement can help regulate stress hormones
• Art or creativity – painting, journaling, or crafting can offer emotional release
• Music – listening or playing can shift your mental state
• Hobbies – anything you enjoy that pulls your focus away from worry

The goal isn’t to ignore your feelings—it’s to give your brain a break from the loop of fear and uncertainty.

For patients feeling overwhelmed, Dr. Boardman suggests a straightforward journaling exercise to help reframe anxious thoughts. Start by drawing four columns on a sheet of paper:

• What I don’t know
• What I do know
• What I can’t control
• What I can control

“I’ll ask patients to write down what I don’t know, what I do know, what I can’t control, and what I can control,” she said. Then, “a helpful way to dial down their anxiety” is to “try to move as many items as possible into what they know and can control.”

This visual mapping helps externalize worry and empowers patients to focus on what’s actionable. It’s a small but powerful way to feel less at the mercy of uncertainty.

When anxiety takes hold, it’s easy to feel powerless. But tools like flow and cognitive reframing offer a path back to emotional steadiness. They don’t erase the fear—but they help patients reclaim space for peace, presence, and perspective.

Prostate Cancer Screening and Warning Signs

When you do get screened for prostate cancer, your doctor will run a few tests.

One of the tests is the PSA test, a simple blood test that screens for prostate cancer. It looks for more significant amounts of protein-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. 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.

WATCH: How Gleason Grade Determines Treatment

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.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men at average risk between the ages of 55 and 69 years talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening.

The American Cancer Society recommends that men at age 50 who are at average risk should begin screening. Men who are at high risk of prostate cancer should begin screening at age 40. Men with a close relative diagnosed with prostate cancer should consider annual screenings in their 30s.

SurvivorNet experts suggested that men consider factors like their family history, genes, and age when deciding whether and when to screen.

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

If You’re Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, What to Expect for Treatment?

After testing and establishing your risk, your doctor will discuss possible treatment options. These may range from active surveillance to more aggressive options, including surgery and radiation therapy.

WATCH: Coping emotionally after a prostate cancer diagnosis

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.

WATCH: Sexual Function Recovery After Prostate Cancer 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.

“Erectile function is so sensitive when we’re dealing with prostate cancer because the nerves that are critical for this function wrap around the prostate; they’re just so intimately connected to the prostate that they can be damaged from a surgical removal of the prostate or through radiation treatment,” Dr. Isla Garraway, a staff urologist in the Veterans Administration (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, told SurvivorNet.

Doctors often recommend sexual counseling after prostate cancer treatment to help improve sexual function. This approach actively addresses the psychological, emotional, and relationship impacts on sexual health.

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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