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James Pickens Jr. Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis, Undergoes Robotic Prostatectomy

He uses the disclosure to urge early screening, stressing higher risk for Black men.

Overview

  • The 73-year-old Grey's Anatomy star disclosed the diagnosis in a Black Health Matters interview, echoing a current storyline involving his character.
  • After decades of annual checkups, doctors noticed an abnormality that led to a biopsy confirming a tumor.
  • Tomography indicated the cancer had not spread, and he had a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with a one-night hospital stay.
  • Pickens cites a strong family history, saying his father and several of his father's brothers had prostate cancer and that relatives have lived with the disease.
  • He underscores that about one in eight men will be diagnosed and that Black men face higher risk, urging regular testing because early detection makes the disease highly treatable.