8 celebrities that survived prostate cancer

Prostate cancer affects 1 in 9 men and celebrities or successful men are not an exception. Lots of them have fought with the disease and won, but, unfortunately, some have lost the battle. This articles focuses on the survivors of prostate cancer: how they detected the disease and the courses of treatment they chose to take.

In the face of serious diseases, celebrities are just like us: they too have to go to regular preventive medical check-ups, deal with the trauma of severe diagnosis and rely on the support of family and friends to go through the entire experience.

1. Ben Stiller

PSA test rates might have gone down, due to the risk of over diagnosis, but a routine check-up saved Ben Stiller’s life. In June 2014, at age 48, Stiller was recommended by his doctor a series of routine check-ups, including the Protein Specific Antigen test. The value posed some concerns for his doctor, which asked him to take the test again after six months. This time, the results were significantly higher and, after a series of other exams, the result was clear: it was, indeed, prostate cancer. Stiller underwent a prostatectomy and now he is cancer free. Even though he had no specific symptoms and no cases in his family, the preventive PSA test helped to catch the disease early on and treat it with success.

2. Robert DeNiro

DeNiro’s father died of cancer in 1993, which was a motivation for the award-winning actor to be proactive about his personal healthcare and periodically go through routine checkups. This is why, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, at 60 years old, the disease was in the early on-set and the doctors were able to treat it with success. Being a private person, he hasn’t released any details about his choice of treatment, but we do know that he made a full recovery.

3. Warren Buffet

Prostate cancer doesn’t make any exceptions, not even for the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. In 2012, one of the most successful investors in the world was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer during a routine test. After consulting with his doctor, he underwent 44 days of daily radiation treatment, which didn’t seem to affect Buffett at all. In a statement letter to shareholders, he said he felt “great – as if I were in my normal excellent health – and my energy level is 100 percent”.

The news of his treatment did, however, fuel the controversy surrounding the necessity of the PSA test for men over the age of 75. Prostate cancer is a slowly growing disease and, considering that Buffet was 81 years old when he was diagnosed, with no signs that the disease was aggressively spreading, chances were that he could have lived the rest of his life without having to undergo treatment. Radiation therapy is a rather safe procedure, but it can bear side effects such as fatigue and bowel problems. About 50-70% of patients that undergo the procedure can lose the ability to get or sustain an erection, or experience rectal bleeding.

Fortunately, however, Buffett completed his full 44-day radiation treatment cycle with success, remaining cancer free to this day.

4. Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani abruptly withdrew from the race for the U.S. Senate in 2000, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His father lost the battle with the disease 19 years before that, which made Giuliani extremely rigorous with taking the PSA screening test. His treatment was complex and aggressive, but successful: four months of neoadjuvant Lupron hormonal therapy, low dose-rate prostate brachytherapy with permanent implantation of ninety TheraSeed radioactive palladium-103 seeds in his prostate in September 2000, followed two months later by five weeks of fifteen-minute, five-days-a-week external beam radiotherapy at Mount Sinai Medical Center, with five months of adjuvant Lupron hormonal therapy.

He kept his good spirits about the entire experience, stating that  “The time that I spent this morning between 8 and 9 was not nearly as painful as most of my morning meetings […] And there was less fighting … so this was actually a much quieter and more peaceful morning than I usually have.” He is cancer free to this day.

5. Mandy Patinkin

The famous actor and singer was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 51 years old, almost the same age his father was when he died of pancreatic cancer. The news let him shocked and weeping over the phone, but his wife was there to support him and remained with him the entire journey. Because of the early stage of the cancer and his young age, his doctor recommended radical prostatectomy. Patinkin was concerned of the side effects on his overall quality of life – men may experience continence issues and some degree of erectile dysfunction after the procedure.

Advances in medical treatment went a long way and his urologist reassured him that he will recover his functions and adapt to the new conditions of his life, but that he has to focus first on being cancer free. He underwent the prostatectomy and the surgery was a success, with 0 traces of cancerous cells left.

Although it might seem counterintuitive, Patinkin affirms that prostate cancer changed his life for the better: “I always appreciated my life, my wife, my kids, my music, the fact that I get to do what I love.  But I took my life for granted. I would say I didn’t, but I did. I was kidding myself. And after cancer, every day, including this second while I am talking to you, is precious to me – every sunrise and sunset, every walk in the park, every visit with my children, every time I hold my wife, every time I get to perform.” He is now concerned with healthy dieting and lifestyle, drinks anti-oxidant smoothies every morning, eats daily at least one of the foods that thought to help fight cancer (broccoli, cauliflower, blueberries, Brussel Sprouts, cooked tomatoes). He watches over his mental health by avoiding stress, meditating, practicing physical activity and excercising. Overall, he has learned that you should not take life for granted and make the most out of every single day.

6. John Kerry

Another politician that had his political campaign interrupted by prostate cancer is John Kerry. While running for President in 2003, John Kerry was diagnosed with the same disease that killed his father. His wife and his doctor were the ones that were alarmed by the high increase of the PSA value between two check-ups and insisted that Mr. Kerry should undergo other exams, such as a digital examination and ultrasound test. When these were inconclusive, his doctor consulted a urologist who recommended a biopsy. This was the definitive step in diagnosing the cancer.

The disease did not interfere with Kerry’s presidential run. His urologist performed surgery on him and he returned soon enough on the campaign rail. The tests performed after the surgery concluded that he had a less than 3% chance of the cancer coming back in the next ten years, with a high chance of treating it, if it did.

7. Colin Powell

Colin Powell approached his prostate cancer with the rigor and seriousness you would expect from a Commander of the U.S. Army Forces. He knew that it ran in his family and that African-American males have a higher chance of developing it and dying from it. Regular testing was the norm for five years, before the diagnosis came. He didn’t rely just on the PSA value, but also did two other biopsies along the years, before the third one was a positive. The treatment was almost a strategic decision – Mr. Powell didn’t want to have to fret about the recurrence of the cancer and to have to go regularly to radiotherapy. Radical prostatectomy was the best option for the then Secretary of State, who was back in office less than a week after the intervention.

Colin Powell is an advocate for prevention and a vocal supporter of prostate cancer awareness. Regular testing and being informed about the disease, risk factors and treatment options helped him deal with the problem and make an early recovery.

8. Sir Ian McKellen

Prostate cancer doesn’t spare even those with honorific addresses issued by the Queen of England. Sir Ian McKellen was diagnosed in 2006, but revealed it to the public in 2012. Considering his age and the containment of the cancer inside the prostate, his doctor advised him on taking the course of active surveillance. The Lord of the Rings actor goes to regular checks and maintains an active lifestyle, practicing Pilates, despite his advanced age.